


Mirror, tell me something...

by Areitheperidotdragon



Category: Legacy of Kain
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Body Modification, Bondage, Dom/sub, F/M, Mind Control, Oral Sex, Original Character Death(s), Past Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Size Kink, Torture, Transformation, Vampire Sex, Violence, Violent Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:41:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 49,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7655947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areitheperidotdragon/pseuds/Areitheperidotdragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MAJOR Edits are now done as of 02/05/2018. All of the other Chosen knew that she was someone's 'Mirrored image' and that there was some sort of agreement between her world and her Mirror's, yet she had been very careful during her tenure on Haven to not give things away. Literally running into the male in question whilst she had been out on patrol had caused her to panic...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mirror, tell me something...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HopeofDawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeofDawn/gifts), [Thefractured](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefractured/gifts).



> One-shot story with an original character based upon stories posted by fractalserpent and HopeofDawn's regarding the long-running crossover RPG called Multiverse Haven. I fell in love with a number of their works and got the go-ahead to post this story with an Original Character being thrown into the mess, you can find their works on Archive of Our Own. Thank you so much to fractalserpent and HopeofDawn, who have also done a light-beta read through.
> 
> Also I do not own any of the LoK characters or over-verse characters idly mentioned in this one-shot. Only Kay is mine. I make no money on this story.
> 
> Title of the story is based on the song Mirror Mirror from RWBY, White's trailer song. Do not own. Is a wonderful series.
> 
> Fair warning! TAG's: B-Mod. Bondage. Dom/Sub. Mind Control. Oral. Past Rape. Dubious Consent/Near Rape. Temp-Character Death/Transformation. Torture. Violence. Size-kink. Blood-drinking (Vampires, duh!)
> 
> This is VERY NSFW and far more violent than my other stories in that aspect.
> 
> You have been warned. :-)
> 
> -Bows- Please enjoy!
> 
> MAJOR overhaul of this finished as of 02/05/2018. Also working on another chapter as well with Raziel, so please stay tuned! ^.^
> 
> A/N 02/08/2018; someone pm'd me pointing out a few things, including the fact that some sections, such as thoughts, weren't properly italicized. Fixed! If anyone else sees any errors or anything else, please let me know! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

 

Kay was not having the best of days.

Since she currently had a pair of large, sharp-taloned hands holding her in place, one wrapped firmly around the upper part of her left arm and the other resting on her shoulder, it wasn't hard figuring out ' _why'_  she was having a bad day. Mind, the male's grip wasn't overly painful, given that her shoulder had recently been dislocated, but it still hurt to have  _any_  kind of pressure against it. The only thing that kept her from pulling free was the knowledge that the male in question was trying to  _help_  her.

Said male's hands abruptly moved with a practiced air and a twisting, jerking motion forced the limb back into proper alignment.

Kay bit into lower lip in response to the pain, containing a reflexive cry. What followed was a kind of dull, aching sort of relief. A strained, growling sigh escaped her lips. Ow. Just  _ow._  That had been unpleasant. She started to rub at her sore shoulder, knowing that the area would show signs of swelling in short order and then froze when her fingers brushed against talon-tips. The ache had distracted her from her surroundings... and the fact that he had not yet released her arm.

Indeed, those taloned hands remained firmly around her arm in an inescapable hold. If the woman made the mistake of trying to pull free, well... her efforts would have proven fruitless indeed. The disparity of strength between the pair was too great and, while the woman may have learned dozens of spells over the years thanks to the 'kindly' intervention of the 'Powers That Be' of Haven, those skills would avail her naught. She'd already learned that much in the past hour.

The 'Powers' were an annoying lot 'led' by a being known as Q. The group oversaw and 'protected' those that they claimed were 'Chosen'. Mostly that 'protection' came in the form of simply making sure they didn't kill each other. Admittedly, while there were several that were friendly and even helpful, trust was another matter entirely. Some of the Powers were as clueless as the very Chosen that had been dropped into Haven (literally in some cases. A few denizens had been thrown into Haven by the scruff of their necks. Given such means of arrival to the odd little world... well, it was no wonder that relations were strained and oft times hostile).

And Kay's own arrival? She'd been one of the ones literally dropped.  _Q_  had been the one to bring her to Haven. He'd dropped her into a  _lake,_  dragged her out by the ankle, did something to her that apparently 'prevented her from aging or getting pregnant' without her permission (that last was only to 'avoid unnecessary distractions'. His words, not hers...) and then had the temerity to demand a 'thank you' from her.

_A thank you!_

To say that Kay had been 'upset' would have been putting it mildly. Like calling a Ghost Pepper 'somewhat hot'. She'd alternated between raging at him for his asinine behavior and  _questioning her own_   _sanity._ Understandable given the situation, the near omnipotent being was supposed to be nothing more than a story after all. Q'd silenced her with a wave of his hand and then had go on to explain what it was that he wanted from her. Apparently there was an 'agreement' that had been made between her world and that of her 'Mirror's' world. He'd given this grand little speech about the difficulties of doing such a thing, what with the sheer number of layers of time and dimension both that lay between the two worlds. All she could do at that point was glare at him as he went on and  _on_  and  ** _on..._**

It had been fascinating. Truly. An absolutely  _riveting_  oration worthy of an Oscar...

Only one item of note had really stuck out to her mind; Kay would  _have_   _to_  'submit to her Mirror in order to be 'Changed'. Otherwise she would not be able to  _fix_ her world. Her Mirror would then receive a gift to help his own world in exchange. Something to recover from what was, essentially, a case of 'planetary cancer'. No one had consulted her on the matter. Her  _or_  her Mirror. It was simply something that was 'expected' of her  _and_  her Mirror _._  She was to do this and 'one other task' before being  _allowed_ to go home.

Her anger had reached new heights. Her will was to be  _subsumed?_  She would be  _bound_  to some unknown individual that she didn't know? Didn't  _trust?_  As if hearing her thoughts, which he  _could_  do if he wanted to, Q took an almost perverse amount of pleasure in telling her just who her Mirror actually was. She'd blanched at his words. Kay knew precisely who Q spoke of. He was  _fiction_  back home. A  _story_  just like Q. And there would be no way to defend against  ** _that_**  one. Not as she was back  _then._  Still, to be told that she would have to bow knee to another being without so much as a 'by your leave'?

Perhaps angry had not been the right word.

Livid.

_Outraged._

Infuriated...? Yes.  _Infuriated._

As soon as she'd been  _allowed_  to speak again, she'd told Q off and turned to walk off. To be put through all that for what seemed to be minimal rewards was, in her  _professional_  opinion, bullshit. She'd intended to find a way back home and leave this strange fever dream behind. Rather than yell at her, or worse still given Q's abilities, he'd offered up suitable enough bait to entice her into staying. Gift's of knowledge. Of power and magic. Mind you, that alone might have gained her somewhat  _grudging_  compliance, but there was one thing and  _one thing only_ , that caught her attention. A chance to regain what had been lost.

In the end… how could she refuse…?

After that, it was simply a matter of how and  _when_  to inform her Mirror. She had not wanted him to know about her, not right away at least. _Q_  had other plans though and announced to the rest of the Chosen that she was  _someone's_  Mirror. Just not  _whose_. Being outed her first day as a 'special case'  _did **not**_  endear her to the others, that was certain. At least the male in question was a Vampire. She had been almost immediately dismissed as 'just another walking blood bank' (her words, not his) and she had preferred it that way. Remaining out from under  _his_  radar meant that she had time to learn more about what she was being strong-armed into.

And that's what she did, at first. Preliminary research to find out how much of his story was fiction versus fact had swiftly convinced her that catching her Mirror's attention was could simply be classified as 'A Bad Idea'. A skilled leader, mage and warrior... and a  _consummate sadist_  to boot. That last was yet another reason to avoid him. She was no masochist and knew that he was dangerous in that aspect of things. His ability to Teleport was hard to counter, his Mist ability even more so. Any defense that she could think of... would likely be ripped apart given his own rather extensive repertoire of spells.

With that in mind she had decided that her Mirror was to be avoided, at least until there was no other choice in the matter, and had focused her time around that 'other task'.

A task that had proven a  _hell_  of a lot more complicated than she'd expected. She  _literally_  had to help restore the balance and timelines of no less than a  ** _dozen_**  worlds. Events had been made worse thanks to the Power's well-meant meddling while they worked to 'reboot' the Multiverse, which was already collapsing, and save it from an 'unknowable' foe that was trying to help that collapse of reality along.

Kay didn't  _know_  who that foe was, but she  ** _suspected_**  the M Continuum. They  _were_  the counter-part's of the Q Continuum after all. What the Q wanted saved, the M wanted destroyed, so it wasn't an entirely unreasonable suspicion on her part.

Ah well, one couldn't control the unseen/unknowable. With that in mind, she started to 'help out'. Some tasks were easy, others...? Not so much. Many of the Chosen had been myth and story to her, true, but the  _real_  story rarely 'followed the script' as it were. She found  _that_  little fact out by talking to the others from 'Earth/Gaia'; Ripley, Seras, Dante and even the dozen or so non-combatant Chosen.  _All_  of them seemed to have similar legends, stories and myths, but there were differences. Sometimes blatant ones. As such, Kay could occasionally go to the other 'Earthling' Chosen to compare notes. To get an idea of  _how_  she might help someone when she was stuck. Hell, the other Chosen could have helped out had they but  _known_  about the overlap of knowledge… and had they actually been  ** _inclined_**  to help.

Seras was still young. Eager. As a former police officer-turned-vampire that still followed the motto of 'protect and serve', she would have helped, had she but known the 'how'.

Dante...? Dante had his own problems to worry about given his dual nature.

Ripley...? Ripley didn't seem to care about anything except for a few, random people that seemed to have nothing in common. The human-zenomorph hybrid was a confusing creature at the best of times, but she was reliable ally to have.  _If_  you'd earned her trust.

And the non-combatants? Those were mostly young teens and thus kept well away from the older,  _magically-inclined_  Chosen simply because they were 'scary' or 'freaky'. No help there.

Despite Q's little  _announcement_ , Kay had been able to work with both the Chosen and the Power's with surprisingly minimal issue. That she had a better idea than most of how one might set some of the other worlds back on track helped. Not  _every_  problem could be fixed, even with the knowledge available to her, but she did what she could. She'd even received several 'rewards' in return for her efforts.

Magical training from Loki. Received as payment for helping him surpass the Thanos-induced madness that afflicted him even after his defeat at Hulk's hands. Firearms and basic sword-play training from the overly rambunctious Dante after having aided the young half-demon male accept his demon blood. In-depth hand-to-hand combat training from Albert Wesker while she subtly and carefully chipped away at the man's confidence, making him question just  _how_  important his 'parental role' actually was when it came to Sherri.

That  _last_  one had not been an easy to comprehend. Wesker being  ** _anyone's_**  guardian had thrown her for a loop.

Not everything went smoothly as time passed. How could it? The Law of Averages was a  _Multi-universal_  Law for a  _reason_. As such, she was found out. Kidnapped.

Onigumo, also known as the half-demon 'Naraku', had assisted the Hylden in capturing Kay in return for assistance in fighting another half-demon by the name of Inuyasha. He had then helped them rape her. Torture her. Had tried to  _break_  her. In the end, it didn't matter to her  _how_  the Hylden had found out about her, only that she was a tempting prize for their foes.

Thankfully, her captors had proven especially arrogant. They made the mistake of allowing her close to one of the small, magically-expanded pouches that she'd taken to keeping hidden amongst her clothes. Pouches that held hundreds of precious,  _life-saving,_  gemstones.

Now, one might mistake such gems for a form of  _currency_  or simply pretty little baubles. One would be wrong. Oh, so  _very_  wrong. Each stone was charged with magic,  _her_  magic, stored away for later use. She had learned  _that_  clever little trick from Rin Tohsaka as this particular branch of magic, unlike many other spells that could be used only while  _on_  Haven's soil, could be mimicked back home on Gaia.

The Hylden had been easily dispatched and the next target for her rage had been Onigumo himself. She'd torn the pathetic half-demon's mind to shreds by the time she was done, those precious stones allowing her to press her attack even though she had been wounded and weakened. Q had been forced to alter the half-blood's memories when the 'cavalry' came to the rescue. The spider demon would think it all just a bad and fragmented nightmare, but  _she_  would remember.

She had not broken then as Onigumo's rather pathetic attempts to mess with her mind were just that;  _Pathetic_. Loki's lessons had included more than a few tricks to protect one's mind.

With her Mirror so damned close to her  _now_...? Well, she was afraid. Even if she was only willing to admit it to herself. Kay knew that, if pressed, her Mirror could and  _would_  succeed where both the Hylden and Onigumo had failed. Likely without much effort. Her Mirror was no  _lesser_  mage nor she did believe that he would be 'gentle' when testing her mental barriers. She was, in a word, fucked.

 _How the **hell** did I end up in this predicament?_ she thought angrily to herself.  _Dammit all. I should have just stayed home._

She contained a perturbed growl, mainly because it was never a good idea  _growling_  around a predator. Might give the wrong impression. Still, the main reason for her upset was because she'd had three months (three months!) before she would have needed to reveal herself. Now that time was  _lost_  thanks to Q's bizarre sense of humor. Q loved playing pranks on the denizens of Haven. Especially around April First. He saw it as a time to indulge in whimsy and levity and other  _fun things_  designed to make people laugh and smile and be happy.

Yeah.

 _Sure_.

Pull the other one why don't you...?

Q's latest, and highly inopportune, April Fool's joke had been to gender-bend all residing upon Haven's soil at Twelve A.M. of said day. This 'wonderful jest' turned everyone, including Q himself, into what they would have looked like had they been 'born' the opposite sex. Fem-Dante. Male-Seras. Fem-Wesker. Etc., Etc.. So on and so forth ad infinitum.

For herself, the change had left her in a form that could have been mistaken for a younger sibling of her Mirror's human-self. Not  _exactly_  the same, due to a few genetic differences that simply didn't exist on her Mirror's world, but still close enough that the dark brown hair, equally dark eyes and suddenly-masculine face had left an obvious resemblance.  _If_  one knew what to look for that is. It helped that ever since his Change, her Mirror had sported silver hair and eyes that were a hunter's blue-gold. The biggest concern to her was actually  _audible_  in nature. Her voice had been changed to sound very,  _very_  similar to her male counterpart's.  _His_  was a voice that was easy to recognize.

Some chose to stay inside that day.  _She_  had decided venture out, refusing to cower in her own home for fear of being discovered by someone who  _wasn't even supposed to be on Haven at the time_. There were pressing things to take care of. Supplies to buy. A stint on patrol. Time didn't stop moving just because Q decided to _play a prank_.

Well... technically speaking it  _could_ , just... not in  ** _this_**  instance.

True, said male had not originally been on Haven when the Prankster's Day began. He'd merely needed to return briefly for supplies. Namely weapons. Upon stepping foot on Haven's soil and seeing the results of said prank, said male had been tempted to simply turn around and return to his own home-world  _without_  the items he'd come for. Curiosity alone had stopped him and he questioned a few people about everyone's... current physical state. Several of those that he had talked to had been understandably upset by Q's 'prank'. Many more had hidden themselves away out of sheer embarrassment. Others still were vainly  _admiring_  their 'alternate' forms. Lastly, there were the one's that had been living in Haven long enough to be apathetic about the entire thing. Those individuals had simply gone about their usual business as if nothing had happened.

The fact that so many  _had_  chosen to hide themselves had been the main reason that Kay had felt it safe to run her errands. When there were no mishaps whilst out shopping, she'd taken up her usual patrol route. With nearly everyone native to her Mirror's home dimension back  _in_  said dimension... well, that meant that it was unlikely that her secret would be revealed.

It had been sound reasoning. Hypothetically speaking. In  _practice_ …?

Not so much...

Suffice to say, the end result had been Kay  _ **literally**  running into_  _her Mirror_  whilst she had been out on patrol. She'd been knocked off her feet and left feeling like she'd run into a brick wall. She'd stood up and had been prepared to either voice an apology or an insult depending on who she'd run into. If it was someone like  _Dante_ , then a semi-playful insult would be fine. Someone like Wesker? A stiff apology and nothing more.

Any words had frozen upon the tip of her tongue when she'd looked  _up_.

Said male's eyes had widened with surprise and no small amount of confusion when the human that had barreled into him stood. The form that was revealed to him looked  _far_  too much like what he'd used to see in reflective surfaces during his youth. That confusion was followed by a lightning fast burst of understanding. He had been about to ask a question, however the female-turned-male before him moved before he was able to  _voice_  said query.

Kay's own eyes had widened, not in confusion, but in shock and no small amount of fear. She'd only frozen long enough to watch the dawning understanding pass across his face before outright fleeing. Her only thoughts had been ' _Not yet_ ', ' _Not **now**_ ** _!_ '** and  **' _Shiiiiiit!_ '.**

That... had been an  _incredibly_  foolish thing to do in hindsight. She could have simply pretended to be one of the others mayhaps or even a newcomer to Haven. But  _no..._  Kay had instead caught his attention, quite thoroughly and irrevocably, with that single ill-advised action.

She'd used Materia magic, Hastaga specifically, in order to enhance her speed and had managed to avoid his pursuing form long enough for it to change over to April the Second. As Q's prank had run it's promised course, her body was restored to its' natural state.  _Mid-step._  She'd stumbled, rolled smoothly and had managed to get back to her feet to resume her flight swift enough to make a Parkour Champion proud.

Thankfully it was easier to run her natural form, the more agile frame designed for speed. For skill. A dagger in the dark instead of the broad-sword that the male form had been. Her destination? A bar that she owned. One of a dozen 'safe houses' in her name in truth. The others were hidden away, obviously, but the bar was currently the closest and the most secure location given the number of spells, barriers and enchantments upon it. A  _lot_  of the non-com's ended up in there or in a bunker buried at the heart of the library (whose lower levels were usually infested with monsters) to keep them safe during enemy attacks.

It was also the one place in the  _entirety_  of Haven that could be considered a  ** _true_**  neutral ground for the Chosen to meet up at. Her Mirror would not be able to harm her there. No one would. Nor would he be able to  _force_  her to speak to him if she did not  ** _wish_**  to. Verbal and  _clear_  consent had to be given for any magics,  ** _especially_**  mind magic, to be used within the building.

Sadly, while she'd received rather extensive training by that point, she did not have a vampire's, nor a demon's, enhanced senses and had thus blundered into a hidden nest of slumbering Deathclaws. Monsters which were deadly, strong,  _extremely_  resilient. Not to mention big. Very,  _very_  big. Despite their sheer size, they could easily conceal their hulking forms amongst the boulders, trees and other debris of the forest. She had not realized that the beasts were there until it was too late.

A surprise blow from one of them had both dislocated her left shoulder and had flung her bodily into a large copse of trees. The impact had left her stunned and beasts had attempted to surround her while she lay dazed. Kay  _was_  able to slay the beasts despite the injury, but the delay had allowed her pursuer to catch up.

She'd raised the strongest magical shield she could when said male stalked into the blood and gore soaked clearing. Trying to keep a nonchalant expression on her face was difficult given the pain that lanced through her shoulder and arm. The taller male had paused to examine the bulky corpses littering the area before his gaze landed thoughtfully on her wounded form. She squared her shoulders, as much as she  _could_ given the injury, and was fully prepared to either run or fight him.

"Given your form whilst under Q's magic, I would conclude that you are  _my_  Mirror, are you not?" he'd asked in a low voice. "Might I inquire as to  _why_  you felt the need to flee from me so abruptly?"

"I have no need to discuss my reasons for being here in Haven for another three months," she'd responded, her tone blunt. "We can talk  _then_."

She'd just barely managed to keep the 'Now kindly fuck off' comment behind her teeth. Voicing  _that_  particular phrase would not have gone over well with the male in front of her.

By the darkening of his eyes, he'd been able to tell that she'd held her tongue. He'd started to circle the shield, moving with a leonine grace that set her teeth on edge. Kay's heart had started to thud wildly in her chest. The rapid ta-thud-ta-thud beat that was her heart practically screamed in her ears. Every instinct shouting that he was a predator and that she needed to get-away- _get-away_ - _ **get-away** - **now!**  _She swallowed the fear down hard and had stubbornly held her ground.

"Very well. Go then. I will not give chase if you decide to leave..." he'd purred out in a deadly, almost mockingly sweet tone.

His words had left her shocked. He was  _letting her go_? Just like  _that?_  No questions or demands? Still... she moved as he did, keeping the male in her sights. Something had felt  _off_  about the whole situation and her eyes had remained distrustfully on his form. He could easily say one thing and mean another and yet... it simply had not felt at that point like he'd finished speaking. There was  _something_  in his tone. Something small but undeniably  _there_ and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

It proved to be wise to wait. The male had stopped only long enough to idly examine his talons, as if her growing unease had meant nothing at all to him, before he'd raised his golden-eyed gaze to her own and  _smiled._ A white flash of teeth that was all  _fang_  and  ** _threat_.**  It was as if he'd expected her to actually bolt and was both amused and pleased that she had held her ground.

She'd immediately recognizing the deadly focus of a predator that had pinned its' gaze upon its' intended prey and likely about to pounce at any second.

Well...  _shit_.

"However," his purr had changed to a low, threatening growl, "if you  _do_  choose to leave, then know that I will punish you three months from now for such a blatant showing of  _cowardice_."

Kay's voice locked in her throat, a small choked noise escaping her and her eyes had gone wide in shock both at the blatant threat and the verbal blow to her pride. She was no  _coward!_  How  ** _dare_**  he...?! Bristling in anger, she had been about to snap at him... only he was not done issuing his threats.

"You will know nothing but pain and agony as you are broken to my hand," he'd continued in a cold voice, "especially since you are supposed to be a reflection of myself. Perhaps I might even Turn you so that your punishment can begin anew once I am finished lessoning your foolish hide. You would be able to endure so much more if Changed."

His voice trailed off into a low, threatening purr.

Kay knew, even if  _he_  did not yet know, that being Turned was the end goal of the agreement between their worlds. The method that he had suggested however... was  _not_  the way that she wanted to go about things. He had just outright threatened to  _torture her to death_  and then raise her as a vampire  _in order to_   _torture her further still!_  Not to mention what might happen to her once he was  ** _done_**  amusing himself. Would he finish her off in truth? Let her live but with mind and body shattered? A shudder ran through her at the thought and she closed her working hand into a fist.

"I believe that I shall grant you until the count of ten to decide which course of action to take,  _hm_?" his voice was a low, sharp-edged caress.

She'd clenched her teeth and had barely been able to contain a fear-edged growl of frustration that had wanted to escape her. There was no denying that he  _could_  do such a thing. Unlike the others who might issue empty threats, he would not have a problem turning  _words_  into  ** _action_.**  The question here was; would he  _actually_  do it? Regardless, it was best to take him seriously. For her Mirror was  _Kain of Nosgoth_. A Vampiric Warlord that made Vlad the Impaler, Oda Nobunaga and Attila the Hun all look like  _tame_  and unweaned  ** _puppies_** in comparison.

Feeling stubborn, rebellious and more than a  _little_  pissed, she'd held the shield spell in place 'til he reached the count of nine. Only then had she dropped the shield, letting out a muttered curse in the process. Wrapping her rage around her thoughts as readily as Kain's  _younger_ -self might have, had he found himself in a similar situation, she'd glowered at the older male and hid the growing fear beneath a veneer of outrage. Bad enough that her scent was likely  _already_  giving away her state of mind, but that fear would  _not_  show on her face.

Rather than press for more information, he'd actually moved over to her side and had...  _assisted..._  her in setting her shoulder. After ordering her to 'remain still', of course. Bossy creature. It was not as if she had much of a  _choice_  in the matter.

Thus, her current predicament with said male's hands  _still_  resting on her shoulder.

And it was such an amusing predicament too. To  _Kain_  at least. The tension in the line of her body, the obvious confusion as to  _why_  he'd bothered to help her and the small sparks of fear flickering in her eyes was... almost  _endearing._  In a way.

"There. That was not so difficult, now was it?" Kain purred in an almost teasing tone as he tested the mobility of her shoulder with a detached, proprietary air. "Now then... as I understand it, there is some sort of agreement between our two worlds, yes? Explain it to me. In detail."

"I... Oh, very well," Kay responded with a huff and a wince as he moved her arm about. "I am sure you are already aware that your world, Nosgoth, is dying and  _has **been**_   _dying_  since before the Power's pulled Raziel here."

Her words were blunt, cruel, but it was true. Hopefully he wouldn't become irate with her for stating the obvious either. She gave a subtle pull as she spoke. A small attempt to free herself from his grasp.

Golden eyes narrowed in silent warning when the woman made her bid to pull free and Kain's taloned fingers  _flexed_  briefly around her arm. It was only the slightest amount of pressure, but a clear and not-so-subtle warning for her to  _ **remain still**_ **.**

She huffed a second time and looked toward the tree line when the effort proved to be as futile as she had expected.

"Even successfully freeing Raziel from the Reaver did not change things," she continued with another small wince. "Nor will you be able to defeat the Parasite that calls itself an 'Elder God' until  _after_  Raziel begins to pursue you throughout time. Sadly, Nosgoth has nearly been drained of souls by that point. Which is the crux of the matter. A Planet's  _lifeblood_  is counted by the number souls that reside in said world's Spectral Realm and that Parasite long ago subsumed Nosgoth's Natural Wheel in order to grow fat and bloated. Not unlike a form of cancer really."

Dangerously sharp talons trailed feather-light over the woman's soft, human-fragile skin as he thought. A touch that was equal parts idle intimidation and proprietary caress. Her words were, again,  _true..._  but Kain was  _already_  well aware of the danger that Nosgoth was in. The delicate Balance that he had worked eons to maintain was... faltering, failing, and he'd been left grasping desperately at the falling sands of time to save both his world  _and_  his First. Raziel was safe now, yes, but the former? He knew that he could, and would, succeed in saving Nosgoth. Kain would accept nothing less than  _complete_  and _**utter**  _victory against his previously hidden foe, but the 'how' was currently eluding him.

His focus narrowed once more on the woman and he released her arm, curious as to how she would react. Would she flee despite his earlier threat? Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

He'd already warned her of the consequences of  _that_  particular choice though. He would  _not_  tolerate cowardice from his Children. Especially from one who was supposedly his 'Mirror'.

Once her arm was free, Kay simply moved her short-sleeved jacket back into place and rolled her shoulder in an attempt to alleviate the now consistent ache. Damned thing was definitely going to need healing and soon. Leaving it alone would make it a liability that she couldn't afford. Casting anything right  _now_  however, would likely be viewed as preparation to either attack or flee. She'd need to wait until it was safe or until the situation changed enough for him to  _not_  take the action as a threat to his person. Taking a slow breath to both steady herself and conceal both unease and pain, she continued to go over what she knew.

"What Nosgoth needs is the planetary equivalent of a blood transfusion," she said calmly. " _That_  is where my world comes into play."

"Mmm?" a single, rumbling hum escaped him. A noise that was more demand than question really.

Kain eyed her slighter for, feeling pleasantly entertained. He had easily noticed the subtle shift in her scent that put lie to the calm facade that she was putting forward. Such an enticing scent of rage mixed with fear and discomfort. And from such a prideful little thing, too. Perhaps there would be some amusement to be found here alongside the information she was providing him.

"My world has the opposite problem;  _over_ -population," Kay said before pausing and letting out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe I should explain a little more in detail. You see, my world shuns  _magic_  in favor of  _technology._  Most see magic as archaic and borderline useless thanks to technological advances. It doesn't help that all the Major Tomes of Arcana were lost when the Library at Alexandria went up in flames over a thousand years ago. Any advanced spells were forgotten. Lost. The knowledge of how to maintain the natural balance of the world, gone. We forgot that there was ever a need to do so, and... well, Humans ended up breeding like rabbits if you will."

"I doubt that things as horrendous as you are making them seem," he said in a bemused tone. "Human cattle can be prolific and hardy despite their weak nature, but does it really warrant such an over-used saying as  _that_?"

"Right now there are over seven  _billion_  Humans living on my world," her own expression became amused for a fleeting moment before darkening once more. "Far too many for my world to sustain safely."

Kain blinked in shock. The sheer number she was speaking of was... quite a staggering thing to contemplate. Was there really  _nothing_  to have kept the humans in line? Nothing to keep the Balance of this woman's world in check? No matter. Leaving the Humans to manage things  _themselves_  had  ** _obviously_**  failed. In a rather spectacular fashion no less. No wonder the Powers had sought to interfere by bringing her here. If she was indeed her world's Balance Guardian then...

Kay let out a huff of breath, amused once more by the flicker of disbelief in the tall male's eyes. She idly pushed a loose strand of hair behind one ear with her good hand and started walking carefully toward a cleaner part of the clearing. A spot that had the benefit of being both  _upwind_ and clear of any body parts. Deathclaw corpses had a rather  _unique_  odor.

"Gaia is willing to give Nosgoth a gift of over three billion Human-level souls that are currently within Her Spectral Realm," she said as she walked. "However, while the birth rate of humanity  _would_  drop for a time, the Human species itself is  _still_  far too numerous for Her to support."

Though that last could be counted in a handful of  _centuries_  rather than a handful of years. More than enough time to fix things... and yet,  _somehow,_  still not enough.

Not when one considered a  _Human's_  life-span.

"You have  _nothing_  to manage your kith?" Kain asked, walking beside her and keeping her within arms reach. "That is unusual given what I have heard from other Chosen. All of their worlds have at least some _thing_  to curb the folly's of Humanity."

"It's obvious that you don't talk to the  _Non-combatant_  Humans," Kay said with a chuckle and shake of her head. She came to a halt and sighed. "To answer your question; no. Right now there is no way to restore the Balance of my world right save, perhaps, a cataclysmic event that would have to be on such a scale that... Well, to put it simply; the  _cure_  would be worse than the  _disease_."

Kay fell silent and contained the childish urge to let loose a string of curses. Like her Mirror, she had been a 'noble' yanked unceremoniously from a cushy life.  _Forced_  into a role that she had neither  _wanted_ nor  ** _asked_**  for. That she could do nothing to help what she thought of, rather possessively, as  _her_  world beyond following the path that Q had put her on was...  _galling._  Her hands closed into fists, one of which spasmed with the pain of the movement. Pain that was, for the moment, welcomed given her currently plummeting mood. A helpless sense of rage-filled frustration pulsed through her and she barely managed to contain another growl.

Kain tilted his head in thought as she spoke and a grim understanding filled him. He knew that look. That anger. It was the frustration born of one unable to save their world without  _risking it_  in the same breath. The helplessness, too, was familiar. As if one was nothing more than a pawn to be moved about against one's will. Her plight was so painfully familiar despite the differences.

Not that he would ever  _voice_  said understanding.

That last bit of information though, was the largest piece to the puzzle that was 'Kay'. He now knew  _exactly_  what her world wanted in return for the boon of so many souls.

 _Ah, Free Will,_  he thought with a flash of bitter amusement and the faintest of smirks.  _The greatest illusion of them all._

"Hm. Allow me to summarize; your world has no  _superior_  predator species," he murmured as if in thought, "and a culling of the herd is desperately needed to prevent the overuse of available resources.  _You_  are the linchpin of this little bargain I take it?"

"Yes," she hissed and the sound was not unlike that of an angry cat. Bitterness filled her tone... and likely her  _scent_  for all that she knew. "Gaia wishes the 'careful introduction of an ideal predator species'. One that would not be put down easily. You and your kin are such 'ideal predators'. Minimal weaknesses and a hardy nature."

"Vampires  _do_  have weaknesses however," Kain pointed out in a dry tone. "Weaknesses that you seem to be well aware of no less. Tell me, how do you intend to manage the madness caused by the Hylden's curse?"

She waved her hand almost dismissively at the question, knowing that he was testing her knowledge of how things stood for him and Raziel both.

"Raziel and yourself were supposed to have been purified of the corruption that affected the vampires of your world. Q has also told me that your future Children will no longer become twisted,  _mindless_  beasts as they evolve," she said and then fell silent for a second before continuing in a more hesitant tone. "The Elemental threats  _should_  have been nullified as well. I know that is true for Raziel, but I am... uncertain... when it comes to yourself. Mind you, I will not be  _testing_  that theory by throwing water at you. Or by doing anything  _else_  just as foolish."

"Wise," he responded in a dark tone even though he was moderately pleased by her knowledge. It was only the first test that he would put before her. "Such an action would  _not_  end well for you, even if your actions did not succeed in harming me."

"I might do foolish things on occasion," she said in a dry tone, "but that does  _not_  mean that I  _am_  a fool."

"Mm, a fair enough statement. We can, all of us, be foolish. On occasion," he hummed his agreement and there was a certain amount of dark humor in his eyes. "To conclude; your Gaia expects  _you_  to be Turned in exchange for the souls that would restore my Nosgoth back to 'good health'."

"That is my understanding of the matter, yes," she responded with a shrug. "Q may pontificate and spin distracting tales to evade questions, but if and when he decides to give someone a straight answer, said answer is  _always_  true. Even if it is something a person would not  _like_  hearing."

"Hn," Kain nodded slowly. He'd found that to be the case as well when talking to  _that_  particular Power.

It was strange. His earlier threat to Turn her had been nothing more than an idle intimidation tactic. Most humans could be so easily frightened into submission with naught but a few words. He'd had no real desire to  _actually_  Raise another Fledgling. Not until after he'd dealt with that bloated, false,  _parasitical_  'god' at least. Now that he had more information regarding this supposed 'agreement' between their worlds...?

Well,  _that_  was the crux of the matter, now wasn't it? Another preoccupied hum escaped him.

Kay eyed the male warily, trying to discern his current mood. Plotting, calculating, analyzing...? He  _looked_  to be lost in thought, mulling over the information that she'd shared with a critical mind. Another might think to take this time to escape whilst he seemed distracted, but  _she_  knew that he was paying attention to her even now. She leaned against the trunk of a rather large tree, as she'd like to avoid having something sneak up on her, crossed her arms and then settled in to wait.

The woman's choice to remain where she was did not go unnoticed and he was further pleased. Still, how to proceed from here? He put her movements from his mind. In truth, dealing with another whelp in exchange for such bounty as what was, supposedly, being offered would not be  _that_  great a hardship. Not only that but, as a  _Vampire_ , the woman would find it  ** _easier_**  to restore the Balance of her world. And that was also an enticing thought... One of  _his_  get ruling another  ** _world?_**  Indeed, if Turned  _now,_  the woman had the potential to become as strong as Raziel given her natural prowess. She might even become as strong as Kain himself in time.

Bitterness abruptly flashed through him like a lightning bolt and a soft, discontented rumble escaped him.

Time...

It always came down to  _time_  didn't it?

 _Several_  factors had become apparent when it came to the disparity of power between his Children and the eventual limitations inherent in their respective evolutions. Some of it was simply due to their own unique natures, but Kain knew that the  _primary_  reason that his Sons had differed so in power, even as Fledglings, had been because of bull-headedness.  _His_  bull-headedness. He had raised them all within  _five_  years of each other and had only  ** _later_**  learned that he should have spaced out their Turnings over a far, far greater period of time. Turning a Child was a major drain upon both one's magic  _and_  one's soul.

Kain had learned all of this whilst critically observing each of his Sons as they raised their own progeny. Each of their First's had been the strongest of the lot, of course, yet those Turned too close to their immediate elder showed not even a  _quarter_  of the strength as those who had a sizable 'age' difference. Through careful observation he had found that a full  _century_  between raisings was ideal. Half or even a quarter of that if,  _and **only**  if,_ one found themselves seriously pressed for troops.

His son's had believed him to be watching merely to ensure that  _they_  did not fail in their efforts and Kain had done nothing to dissuade them from that assumption. No, he had merely ensured that his  _own_  error was not repeated. Sadly it was a miscalculation that his poor, dear Melchiah and all of his Sixth Son's progeny had been the ones to suffer the most for.

All for the sake of  _Pride..._

"What boon will you receive for your 'willingness' to go along with this plan?" he asked abruptly, mentally shaking away the melancholy thoughts. "The way you speak makes it plain that this is  _'Gaia's'_  ultimate goal and  _not_  your own."

Perhaps it was jealousy, or even anger, that made her jaw clench at his question. Regardless, Kay remained quiet for several moments. If pressed for the truth of her mood, she'd not have been able to give a definitive reason for it. There were two items of note that could have been the cause of her upset. The first was that Kain had  _kept_  his autonomy after being Turned by Mortanius despite Moebius' subsequent machinations. He'd had no Sire to dictate his movements and will.  _She_  might not be allowed to have such a luxury. He  _also_  had his Raziel, free of the Reaver and  _at his side once more_ , even if their relations were somewhat strained.

His lover. His Sword. His  _most valued_  First Lieutenant.

Nevertheless... he'd only accept the truth and would  _know_  if she tried to lie to him. Too bad there was no easy way to conceal the pain of such a loss.

"I... have my own version of Raziel. His name...  _is_... Raphael," grief locked her throat for a moment. Only for a moment. Tears certainly did  _not_  prick at her eyes, nor did her expression briefly flicker to one of pure sorrow. She'd deny it vehemently if either were to be pointed out. "My husband, who was the only male to have  _ever_  proven worth my time, is... currently dead ** _."_**

Kain blinked and tilted his head at the small, half-hidden flickers of emotion passing over the woman's face. Another hum escaped him. The woman would have been unable to tell if it had been a sound of surprise... or perhaps something else entirely. A small sign of  _understanding_  perhaps? Either way, he now knew  _why_  she would agree to such an arrangement, even if it meant binding herself to another, to  _him,_  for an undetermined span of time.

"An enticing carrot indeed," he murmured eventually. "I see now why you would be agreeable to such a thing."

And he did.  _Of course_  he did. Had  _he_  not taken great risks to save Raziel? Potentially risking Nosgoth itself in the process?

He started towards her, movements leonine and graceful as he eyed her form.  _This_  was not the previous wariness of a hunter waiting to see if its' prey had claws and teeth hidden away, but the air of one whom was examining a Prospective Childe. Would she even be  _worth_  his time? His  ** _consideration?_**  Should he just Turn her and be done with it, wiping his hands of her the second the deed was said and done? Should he leave her to make her own way as he had been forced to do? Perhaps...

And perhaps  _not._

Kay remained wary and raised a brow at the blatant examination of her person. She had a light build, almost dainty and fae-like despite the visible, yet lean, muscle. While fair of face and form, she could have easily been dismissed for just another pretty face amongst the large crowd of pleasing-looking Chosen. She could have remained unnoticed had she wished. Point in fact, she  _had done so._  Until now anyway.

She was no un-skilled  _waif._

"So you claim that your…  _husband's..._  rebirth is your only concern?" he asked. "You do not hide behind more altruistic reasons? Righteous, Divine-seeming claims?"

"No," Kay responded with a huff of exasperation. "I'm a selfish creature and I am not afraid to admit that. Besides which, history reveals that many 'righteous crusades' have been led by people who have greedy natures. 'I want your land and resources' becomes the excuse for a Holy War  _far_  too often. Why would I hide behind pretty, illogical lies that anyone with  _half a **brain**_  can see through?"

"Hn," Kain inclined his head in acknowledgment. "A fair enough assessment."

"Thank you," she responded with a faint smirk. Her expression grew pensive. "I'll admit that the knowledge that I am my world's Balance Guardian  _does_  affect that choice. Somewhat. I would like to set things to rights. In as much as I can that is."

His brow arched questioningly. She  _had_  just admitted to doing things for her own, selfish reasons after all. Why then would she say that she cares about 'setting things to rights' as she so eloquently put it?

"Not for  _others_ , nor out of some misguided since of nobility," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand at his silent question. "For  _me._  It is  _my_  world.  _My_  Gaia. Why be the Guardian of ashes when I have the chance to reside over something alive and  _vibrant?"_

"I see," he said and a huffing breath of laughter escaped him.  _That_  kind of possessiveness he understood quite well. "Do you think it will be a simple matter to change things then?"

"'Simple'?" Kay echoed with a blink. She shook her head a moment later. "Yes and no. Integrating a vampiric species into an world that has advanced tech available to the general populace will not be 'easy'. However... people  _do_  have a habit of believing what they  _wish_  to believe. They would likely pass any preternatural activity off as 'fake'. I'll just use that to my advantage."

"Fair enough," he said with a nod. "Human's do have a deplorable habit of acting like mindless sheep."

"Mmm," she shrugged her good shoulder. Can't be offended if it's true. "At any rate, I wish my husband returned to my side while I deal with this damnable mess put before me and I  _will_  get what I want."

"Hn," golden eyes narrowed on her and he hid a vicious smile behind one wide talon.

The blatant statement regarding her desires, as well as that absolute surety that she 'would get what she wanted', was an amusing thing to hear. Especially when one considered just whom it was that she was speaking to. Kain himself was no 'Hero' to rush in and save the day. Not unless there was something to be  _gained_  for his efforts in the process that is. The woman seemed to have a similar enough mindset.

"Your plans have  _some_  merit to them," he said in a tone that bordered on condescending. "If your world's technology is similar to some of the things that I have seen here on Haven, then you are wise to realize that it will be no small challenge. You  _do_  know that you would need to focus on stealth, politics and intrigue above all else, yes? If I understand your needs correctly that is."

"You do," she responded with a nod and her eyes narrowed, "and I am fully aware of what it is that I need to focus on."

She'd easily picked up on the condescension in his tone and, though she tensed in anger, she did not  _quite_  snap at him as she might have another of the Chosen. Kain was not the type to hide his opinion and she knew that her own skills at manipulating the events around her was  _eons_  behind his own experiences.

"Tell me more about this 'plan' that Q spoke of," he ordered abruptly, voice sharp and cold.

It was best to find out if she had the ability to obey his commands  _now_  rather than  ** _later._**  He had no need for a sycophantic or overly _recalcitrant_  fledge after all.

"Ah hell, why not?" she muttered after a tense moment of silence. Kay knew what he was doing and didn't like it.  _Still.._."I was to have thirty years spent both on Haven and also other worlds, various other Chosen's Home-worlds, to receive training. More importantly, I needed to learn how to manage a large number of people schooled in different fields of expertise."

"I see. You needed to learn both the basics of magic  _and_  combat as well as the ways of a skilled leader," Kain summed up thoughtfully. "That does  _not_  explain how you managed to conceal your nature from me however,  _nor_  does it explain why your mind did not snap whilst you were a 'guest' of our Hylden foes."

"And  _that_  was why I chose to help Loki  _first,"_  she answered with a smirk, feeling more than a little smug. "There was  _always_  the possibility that I'd be found out or caught by an enemy force. As such, I  _planned_  for that potentiality. Loki is oft called 'Loki Silver-Tongue' for both his skills in politics and his finesse at trickery without lying. He is also highly proficient in Mind Magic and is as old, if not  _older,_  than yourself. Even though he doesn't look it. I learned both offensive and defensive measures from him and that tutelage is what helped me keep my mind, and the knowledge that I hold,  _safe._  Neither Onigumo nor the Hylden could break through my defenses."

Kain 'hmmed' softly at the woman's prideful smile. While the Hylden were a numerous foe, only  _two_  of that he had faced over the centuries had been a threat to him when it came to mental magic.  _Both_  had been summarily dealt with. He'd not encountered this 'Onigumo' person himself, but if  _Kay_  had been able to defeat him with what middling skills that she had, then said individual was not worth  _his_  consideration.

"Loki's tutelage was also how I managed to keep the lot of you in the dark as to who my Mirror actually was," she finished, her smirk widening faintly.  _"You."_

"Hm," he hummed thoughtfully and allowed her that additional bit of smugness without rebuke. "Most assumed that your Mirror was counted amongst the  _female_  populace."

"Most assumed  _incorrectly,"_  she responded with an amused and self-satisfied huff.

He inclined his head in a small nod. She had been here for several years without her secret being revealed after all. The woman had done well in manipulating the perceptions of Haven's residents. Himself included.

"Is your name even 'Kayla'?" he asked, suddenly feeling curious.

Now that he knew more about the woman, the name that she went by seemed...  _inaccurate_ somehow. Still, what's in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet... and still had thorns to prick unwary hands.

Kay smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. Rather than answer his question, she merely raised a brow at him. That he was  _asking_  meant that he was closer than most in sussing out the truth. If Kain was as clever as his story alluded to, then he would realize that she had only ever told the other Chosen on Haven that they ' _could_  call her Kay' when she introduced herself, not that 'her name  ** _was_**  Kay'. With such a carefully worded introduction, everyone had assumed that her name was 'Kayla'. She had done nothing to correct that assumption as time passed, nor has she ever  _responded_  to 'Kayla'. In fact, she usually reacted just as she did now; with a raised brow, crossed arms and a predatory smirk. Some took said smirk to mean that they had offended her. The resulting apologies and/or tail-tucked attitudes that followed had always been a great source of entertainment for her.

Kain raised his own brow at her continued silence and idly noted that her smirk was a mirror of his own whenever he felt a strong sense of self-satisfaction, only on softer and fuller lips. He chuckled a moment later when he realized what her continued silence meant. The woman had been using distraction tactics all this time, even with regards to something so simple as  _her name_. He, too, recalled the rather humorous reactions that when others called her 'Kayla'.

"I see. You've only ever truly responded to 'Kay' when called upon, haven't you?" he tilted his head and tapped his chin lightly before nodding. "A clever little diversion tactic."

"So  _very_  glad that you  _approve_  of my methods," she responded dryly.

It took a bit of an effort to  _not_  roll her eyes at him. As if she  _needed_  his approval. Hmph.

The dry, nigh on sarcastic response to his compliments, a rare thing indeed to receive, made his eyes narrow. A brief warning-growl escaped his lips at the irreverent tone.

" _Careful_ ," he said in a low voice before continuing thoughtfully. "That you respond to 'Kay' is the clue. Given your admitted habits of 'honesty', you would not respond nor introduce yourself as 'Kay' if it were not at least a  _portion_  of your true name. Tell me your name woman. I would know the truth from your own lips."

She let out a huff of breath and looked away from him, tucking her chin close to her throat at the warning-growl. To a  _human,_  it would have been a sign of submission or avoidance. To a  _Vampire_  however? Well, she'd read up on his kind. His Nosgoth. She knew that she was being not-so-subtlety  ** _defiant._**

Would  _he_  realize that though? Hopefully not for a while yet...

Another low growl escaped him. The woman was human, and just like any human she could be occasionally foolish, but he did not think her actions a showing of blatant and ill-advised  _rebellion_. No… something  ** _else_**  came to mind when she'd ducked her head so.

"Do not think that you can  _lie_  to me woman," he snapped.

Not thought to be defiant but instead thought to be an attempted  _liar_ , eh? Well… that was better than she had expected given her studies actually. Best to answer him as if she  _had_  been about to lie. Or at least be evasive. Kay allowed a faint blush to stain her cheeks and moved away from the tree in a seemingly uneasy manner, only taking a few steps before stopping and fidgeting from foot to foot. It honestly didn't take  _much_  to feign being embarrassed by his line of questioning. Whatever Fates there were had a strange sense of humor indeed...

"...add an 'ne' to the end…" she muttered eventually.

The almost shy demeanor had him on edge and ready for some bit of trickery. When she finally spoke however he was, admittedly, thrown off guard. For a brief moment that is. Add an 'ne' to the end of what...? Wait. Ah. Perhaps  _that_  was what she meant? If so then...  _oh_... oh, how  ** _very_**  amusing! A low laugh rumbled through the clearing like roiling thunder as the last puzzle piece clicked neatly into place.

"'Kayne'," he said. "Your name is ' _Kayne_ '."

"It is," she said, voice still pitched low in a near-sulking mutter.

He started to circle her again, still chuckling at her admission.

"It is no  _wonder_  then that you encouraged such perceptions regarding your person," he said. His tone was filled to the brim with good humor. "Your name  _alone_  gives up the game before it has even begun!"

"Indeed," Kay grumbled. She slashed her hand downwards in a cutting gesture. "Remember though that I have  _never_  lied to you or any the others. I might  _omit_  things, but never have I  _lied_. Far too many do not take well to falsehoods and some can even use one's words to  _entrap_  the liar. If I was to receive training from multiple people whilst also endeavoring to fix the Gordian's Knot that the Power's have made of things, then I needed to ensure that  _my word_  could be trusted above all else."

"Hn," he said. He moved his hand, a simple gesture for her to remain still, and then moved behind her. "Given the temperaments of many whom reside here, such care with word and deed was prudent."

 _Another test?_  she thought warily at his sudden gesture.

Kay shifted her head and eyed him from the edges of her vision. She shifted her stance slightly nary a second later. Other than those small movements, she remained fixed in place. It was clear that she was ready to dodge to the side if needed. She would not be taken off guard by an unexpected attack.

Even from behind the woman was a pleasant enough creature to look at. Kain moved closer still and his hand passed, without touching, over the line of her spine as he examined her form. The ready tension in her shoulders. The subtle shifting of her feet. All this and more showed that her time training had been well spent. Still, that did  _not_  mean she was ready, nor  _willing,_  to bend knee to him. That she had moved _at all_  was a testament to that fact. If he was to Turn her, and then spend time honing her skills further still, then  _that_  was a lesson that she needed to learn and learn  _swiftly_.

His word, his  _will_ , was Law and he had signaled for her to remain ** _still_**.

The desire to demand that he cease circling her was a powerful one. Biting words lay just on the tip of her tongue. Did he have to prowl about so? What was his game? She was nervous. And angry. Rather than say anything however and potentially piss him of in the process, Kay merely crossed her arms back over her chest. He  _was_  close enough to lay her out on her ass before she could blink so it was better to remain silent for the moment. See how things played out.

Swallowing one's pride was no easy thing to do and Kain easily recognized the signs of one just barely keeping the frayed edges of their temper in check. Another huffing breath of amusement escaped him. He'd been the same back when he was a mere fledge standing before Vorador. Vain. Stubborn. Proud. So damned sure of his own strength. An unwise thing to be when faced with an Elder  _far_  more powerful than one's self. He threaded his talons gently through the woman's hair and waited to see how she would react.

Dipping her head at the soft touch, she glared at him over her shoulder. What the hell was he up to  _now_? Why was he playing with her  _hair_  of all things? Did he have no other questions for her? Regardless, she managed restrain the urge to snap at him to back off.

 _See Raphael?_  she thought to herself.  _I **can** be patient. When I choose to be._

Kain's lips curled upwards in a cold and vicious smirk. So quiet. So  _calm_. An obvious lie given her scent, body-language and that tiny glare. He dropped the strands of hair he'd been holding and reached out to brush the back of one talon over the bared portion of her left arm in a testing, near-proprietary touch. Her skin was looked smooth. Soft. Like that of a noble. Of one  _mostly_  unused to strife. No visible scarring from former battles could be seen on her person, true, but that meant next to nothing on a world that had healing magics readily available.

The touch of those talons, careful or not, caused Kay to reflexively pull away. Sharp.  _Danger_.  _ **Back off**!_  Her hand lashed out to bat his own away even as she twisted around to face said male and an enraged snarl of breath escaped her lips a second later. The change in position had allowed her to see that damnable  _smirk_. She immediately tried to put more distance between them as the calculating look in his eyes was unnerving her. She was not some… some piece of _chattel!_

Ah. She was indeed a prideful little thing. Kain rewarded that impertinent burst of ill-advised  _insolence_  by swiftly grabbing and twisting her recently dislocated arm behind her back. His speed would have put the woman's  _strongest_  Haste spell to shame. What with him so close, there was no chance of avoiding him either. Still... he was not  _angry_  with her. Not in the slightest. She'd reacted  _just_  as he'd expected. Besides which, a  _lesson_  still needed to be taught.

The sudden hold caught her by surprise and forced a snarling hiss of pain out of her. She tried to twist free of his tight grasp to no avail. He had too firm a hold.  _Dammit_! With the escape attempt thwarted, she reached automatically for her gun. It didn't matter that he was  _supposed_  to be an ally, his actions had firmly put him into the 'threat' category. Kay would  _make_  him let go if she had the chance to.

The heel of Kain's free hand swiftly hit the base of her back before her hand could close around the butt of said weapon. The shock of the blow would cause temporary paralysis, nothing more, but he'd not risk her drawing that 'fire arm' of hers. Damned weapons were more of a nuisance than anything else given his toughened hide, but he still remembered  _quite clearly_  the pain they had caused his younger-self. It was merely the principal of the matter at this point. The blow would force the woman to her knees and she would be left unable to walk. For a time at least. There would be no escape. No clever bit of trickery. Kain grabbed hold of a fistful of her hair and wrenched her head back at an angle. The action exposed the smooth line of her throat in forced display of submission that pleased him  _greatly_.

Kay let out an explosive roar at the blow. Her legs went limp against her wishes and her knees hit the ground.  _Hard_. Another vicious-sounding hiss escaped her, a noise surprisingly similar to the sound that a fledgling make in such a situation. Distressed, yet also  _challenging_.

 _Son-of-a **bi-OW!**_  she thought with a yelp and she reached up frantically with her free hand when her head was yanked back to tug futility at the talons entangled in her hair.

Golden eyes narrowed at the  _openly_  defiant sounds escaping the woman's lips. Kain forced her up onto her feet with a low growl. He paused briefly in order to savor her reflexive struggles and then lifted her higher still so that her toes no longer touched solid ground. It was a simple matter to support her lighter frame with his own preternatural strength.

Pain flared through her as she was wrenched up and Kay let out a choked gasp. With her toes dangling above the ground and her lower body no longer reacting properly to her will, she felt exposed. Helpless. A snarling breath of frustration filled the air as she squirmed about. With all of her weight centered upon three points; her damaged arm, her hair and her free hand, she couldn't escape the agony no matter how much she writhed about. Still... she did not reach for her gun a second time.

 _One_  lesson learned at least...

A low rumble of noise escaped him when she made no move to reach for her weapons as she wriggled about. Perhaps he was pleased that she did not try to attack him again or perhaps he was simply enjoying her floundering about so wildly. He hefted her squirming form closer and pressed his mouth to her ear. The touch was a feather-light caress over that soft shell.

"I do suggest that you calm yourself, my wild little wolf pup.  _Immediately_ ," he growled into her ear, his tone low. Dangerous. "Being Turned may well be the end goal, but I need not grant you a  _pleasant_  death in the process of bestowing such a Kingly Gift."

 _Will she react much like my younger self would to such an obvious threat?_  he wondered bemusedly.  _All boisterous shouting and self-assured of her own strength even when faced with a foe, or even an **ally** , far greater than she?_

While he'd gotten the expected reaction out of her, the woman  _did_  seem somewhat calmer and more level-headed than he'd been at her age. After all, she'd not responded to his threats by trying to launch a _lightning bolt_  at his face like his younger self had when he'd dropped 'himself' into Haven. That… had  _not_  been a quiet affair. He'd actually tried to  _warn_  his younger self about the damned 'cars' that people drove in this strange bubble-dimension. All to no avail. When his younger self had  _still_  been hit by one of those fast moving, metal carriages  _despite_  his warning, well… he'd wiped his hands clean of the events that had followed and gone back to Nosgoth.

Watching one's self repeat a prior folly was...  _aggravating_... to say the least.

With his threat reverberating through her ears, and there was no doubting that it  _was_  a threat, Kay ceased her struggles. Forcing herself to relax was no easy thing though. Part of her mind was still screaming 'Predator! Get away!  _Run_! Fight!  _Do_  something!  ** _Anything!_ '** and turning off that instinctive fight/flight response was a challenge in and of itself. Still, she managed to slow her breathing, focus past the pain and  _calm_.

Perhaps there was still a way to get loose if she pretended to be subdued? Some predators liked 'playing with their food', letting go only to grab hold once more. From what she'd read about the vampires of his world that was not an uncommon occurrence. She might be able to use such an opening... but then again... this was  _Kain_.

Kain nodded his head in satisfaction as she settled. Only when her struggles had ceased in their entirety did he lower her to where her feet could once more touch the ground. Though he  _did_  keep her arm pinned. It would insure her continued obedience as they spoke.

"Better," he said, his voice was a rumbling purr. He leaned forward and let his lips brush against her ear once more. " _Much_  better."

With her weight no longer centered on her arm and hair, she started to relax. If only by a hair's breadth. Her hand fell away from his own and moved to her wounded shoulder. Kay started to cast a small healing spell instinctively, reflexively, as she rubbed at the sore joint. Just enough power to sooth away the ache. Her healing magics were not rooted in Holy Energy like many other Chosen's. They used  _one's own energ_ y to boost the natural healing process. She'd have  _burned_  the male holding her had that not been the case.

Regardless, accidentally  _harming_  him was not her biggest concern. No, she only wanted the throbbing pain in her shoulder to  _go away_.

It was true that the magic she called to her hand did not burn his flesh, however the mere  _feel_ of her magic in the air made him snarl. The  _appearance_  of continued impertinence on the woman's part angered him greatly. Here he was, offering  _far_  more mercy than he might have others, and she all but spits in his face by  _calling upon the Arcane_? By thinking that he could not  _easily_  sense her casting a spell?  _Any_  spell?

He twisted her arm further still, bending it to just that pain-cracking edge of a bone about to fracture, about to  _break._  Any movement on her part would snap the limb like a dry  _twig_. Another snarl escaped his throat and his voice echoed through the clearing, soft and yet impossibly loud. The growl in his voice made it very plain that his patience with her was almost used up.

"You will cease your spell-casting woman.  _Now_ ," he ordered.

"Gah!" a pained cry escaped Kay's lips and her focus shattered.

Her free hand scrambled against her damaged shoulder briefly. No matter her training, or the trials that she had gone through thus far, she was still  _human_. And a human could not simply ignore the kind of agony currently flaring through the realigned limb. Focusing past the pain as much as she could manage, she lit on an idea. Perhaps a foolish one but really, what choice did she have...?

"J-just... h-healing!" she managed to gasp out as she dropped her hand away and down to one of the pouches hidden here and there upon her person. Since the Hylden's attack she'd been especially careful, one might even say  _paranoid_ , to leave home with _at least two_  jewel-filled pouches.

"Am I to simply take you at your word?" he hissed in her ear. "You  _will_  remain still unless I grant you permission otherwise!"

Talon-tips started to dig into the woman's arm. Not enough to draw blood, but definitely a pin-prickling warning to behave or  _else_. Kain could easily rend the flesh of her arm to pieces if she continued to be so brash.

An angry hiss escaped her.  _Permission_? Oh,  _hell_  no! Kay went still, though she did not go  _limp_  as that would result in her arm snapping, and tried to make it seem as if she'd given up. She even went so far as to tilt her head to the side, both to glare at him  _and_  to bare her throat to the predator behind her. Perhaps the sight would distract him. Perhaps not. Either way, she tugged at the drawstring of the pouch slowly, carefully.  _Quietly_. The string slipped loose with a noise so slight that a  _Human's_  ear would not have picked it up.

Kain, however, was no  _Human_ and had not been so for  _quite_  some time. His enhanced hearing easily picked up the sound of a drawstring being loosened. Baring his fangs, (her continued defiance was both frustrating and inexplicably pleasing) he swiftly bore her bodily to the ground. The only allowance he made was to shift his hold so that her arm did not break in the process. He wanted her obedience, not her screams. Though that could easily change if she maintained her current mien. Having pinned her on her stomach, he settled his own weight atop hers in a way that would prevent her from trying to kick backwards at his crotch.

Not that she could hurt  _him_  of all people, but moving to protect one's male anatomy was automatic for  _any_  tried and true warrior.

Left momentarily stunned as she was forced chest-first against the ground, her only thought was one of relief that her arm hadn't snapped. She wiggled about as the daze started to fade and then swore breathlessly when she realized that the Vampire Lord's weight was settled squarely over her. The fact that he'd also been smart enough to protect his groin was... both aggravating and not the least bit surprising. Deft fingers darted swiftly into the now  _open_  pouch to grab a jewel and Kay winced at the sound of precious stone  _click_ - ** _clinking_**  against precious stone.

That had been loud even to  _her_  ears!

Huffing in exasperation, his hand sought out the woman's and he wrenched the small pouch away from her grasping fingers. Talons sharper than any blade tore the soft fabric, rending the cloth into nothing more than useless  _scrap_. A large number of small gems scattered wildly across the ground beside them when he did so and he raised a brow. The sight of over two dozen gems was, he would admit, moderately confusing. Little diamonds, rubies, quartz and... was that a star sapphire? Why would she reach for  _jewels_?

They were not Materia gems, of  _that_  he was certain. No, these little baubles were small and in some cases roughly cut. If cut at all. There was no immediate similarity to the fist-sized spheres that he was used to seeing around Haven.

One of the scattering gemstones hit Kay's fingertips and she grabbed the seeming-trinket up between first and middle finger. The trigger for a lesser telekinetic spell, one that would produce  _just_  enough energy to force him away, was on the tip of her tongue and yet she hesitated. His words from earlier started ringing in her mind once more and she could feel herself going pale.

"Need I  _repeat_  my offer?" Kain rumbled in a dark tone when she hesitated so openly. Fear was writ quite clearly in those dark eyes.

He placed one large, taloned hand over her dainty one. The touch was ever so light, enough that it might have been mistaken for a lover's caress in any other context. He did not immediately pull the stone from her grasp. No, he left it where it was, ready for whatever use. If she decided to continue with such foolishness, well... That was  _her_  choice. She would face the consequences of said choice either way.

A choked noise escaped Kay and her thoughts scattered. She tensed and then let out a muttered, near-incomprehensible curse. If she attacked, even in a  _defensive_  manner, then things would devolve into a full-on fight. She had no doubts about  _that_. She might last for a while in such a fight, maybe ten minutes, maybe longer, but  _she would not **win**  said battle_. And then...  _then_ he'd carry out his earlier threat and Turn her in the most painful way possible, wouldn't he? She'd... well, she'd rather have a more  _pleasant_  'ending' thank you very much.

A large part of her mind kept raging at the necessary submission though. That kind of anger wasn't going to just _go away_ anytime soon.

Sharp talon tips started to trail oh-so-lightly over soft skin as Kain waited for a response. He noted her reactions attentively. The choked inhale. The stiffened posture and breathlessly muttered curse. The widening and then narrowing of dark brown eyes as the woman contemplated her next course of action. There was a wild-fire temper there as well as the surety that their current position could be altered, at least for a while. Interesting. For these little jewels to fill her with such  _confidence_  was curious indeed. But would his little Mirror actually  _do_  anything with them? Such a prideful pup. So intractable. Just like he had been as a young human Lord and then as an equally headstrong fledgling.

Kain reached out and lightly brushed his mind against her own. Just enough to catch her surface thoughts. Was she scheming or was this sullen quiescence just her fighting against her own obstinance and the inevitability of the situation?

No plots. She was merely trying to compose herself. Kay was well aware of her own short-comings. Namely her temper. As a woman growing up in a world that was mostly run by  _Patriarchal_ -inclined cultures, she knew when to be humble. When to strike. How to pick and  _choose_  her battles. As such, she did not always react to conflict by lashing out. At least, not  _physically._  Sometimes words were enough to cut someone to ribbons (socially speaking at least). She'd even managed to leave  _Raziel_  flat-footed several months back when said male had pissed her off by being a  _depressive bore_. A pleasant enough memory to think upon, despite current circumstances.

Rather than attack Raziel, or even insult him, she had simply turned around, walked up to him to where they were nose-to-nose and then told the Reaver-bound vampire precisely how he might go about freeing himself from his 'paradoxical existence'. The explanation itself had been a bit heavy handed, as if he were dense, and had been followed by a rather terse 'Now, would you kindly go fuck yourself,  _literally,_  or at least stop moping about like some lost little pup would you?'. Raziel had been left rather shell-shocked.

Amusingly enough, her rater crude 'suggestion' would have indeed been possible. The method she had spoken of had left Kain dealing with  _two_  versions of the winged male; one yet bound for a long 'nap' in the Reaver and the other newly freed from his younger self's arm. Kay had even arranged to be on a nearby rooftop (far enough away that they couldn't see, hear or smell her) with binoculars in hand all so she could see Kain's reaction to the situation.

The Vampire Lord recalled the incident idly running through her mind with crystal clarity. He had been surprised by the event that she'd orchestrated. Having two Raziel's return to Haven after the dark-haired vampire's rather impromptu visit to Nosgoth...? Why, if he'd still  _had_  a heart it likely would have stopped for a moment out of pure shock. He'd tried for centuries,  _literal centuries,_  to find an answer to the dilemma that was Raziel. Kain had all but given up on the matter, resolving to make the most of what time he had with his beloved First. To have Raziel,  _both_  Raziel's, just  _appear_  in front of him with the conundrum  ** _resolved_...?**  A bit disconcerting that. Welcome, yes, but still unsettling.

When he had queried the 'pair' on what had happened, both versions of Raziel had stated that 'Kayla' (Kayne in truth he now knew) had given them information that had helped free his erstwhile first-born. The trick had been that  _Raziel_  had to help  _himself_. Kain would never have been able to assist in the process as  _he_  could not affect the Spectral Realm despite his status as Balance Guardian.

That reason  _alone_  was why he was currently granting her leeway during their little 'talk'. Still, Raziel would have been the first to say that Kain's Mercy was a rare and oft  _dangerous_  thing to be faced with. His little Mirror was fast using up his willingness to be patient with her. How long did she intend to make him wait before answering his question?

Her hand suddenly twitched, fingers clenching the small gemstone tight. She hadn't sensed the subtle presence of his mind in hers, skilled mentalist that he was. Instead, she merely assumed that the sudden impatience emanating from him was her instincts picking up on it. Not that their minds were actually  _touching._  Kay grimaced as the physical contact continued. Feather-light, yet threatening, those caresses raised goosebumps along the line of her arm. She shivered. Rage still pulsed at a continuous beat to counter the fear, but...

Swallowing roughly, she allowed the gemstone to slip from her grasp. Now was not the time to strike.

The gem clattered against its' brethren, its' magic unspent.

"You… need not repeat your offer," she growled out slowly. Grudgingly.

"A wise choice," Kain rumbled, pleased.

 _At least she understands the **concept**  of self-preservation_, he thought to himself.

His hand slowly moved away, talon-tips moving to brush along the back of her arm. He then reached up and pushed her hair aside, forcibly bearing her skin in a lovely, submissive display that pleased his predator's instincts immensely. The tension still bunching her shoulders put lie to the illusion of submission though. She'd merely leashed her temper and pride. Nothing more. So willful. Kain trailed his talons along that exposed flesh, lightly scratching the fragile skin and painting it with idle-seeming lines that rapidly turned from white to pink.

She couldn't help but shiver at that touch, tension singing through her body. 'Happy', she was not. She went still when his talons started to scratch lines into her skin, in no way eager to move and accidentally cut herself. Focus sharpening warily, Kay tried to figure out if there was a pattern to be found in the lines he left behind. In-depth lessons from Loki had taught her that rune-work did not always need to be activated with a  _verbal_  trigger. Oft times the runic design, or circle, needed to only be  _completed_  and the spell would activate.

He did not stop, watching each twitch away from his touch with a smirk. Whilst he was  _indeed_  tracing runes along her skin, he was purposefully leaving flaws in them. Or simply beginning a new design in the middle of drawing another. Not that he thought that she would  _recognize_  any of the sigils that he might use. No most female Humans, and many males, calmed beneath a gentle hand and voice. He spoke after a few moments of contemplative silence, his mind still lightly brushing against her own to judge her responses.

"You spent your time here cultivating relations with the others, all in order to engender 'trust' first and foremost. Prudent of you," he said. His tone was genial, as if he did not have her currently pinned to the ground. A soft, encouraging rumble of sound echoed throughout the clearing before he spoke again. "I wonder; with the knowledge available to you, could you not have become a Power yourself?"

"No," she responded through clenched teeth. A shiver ran through her.

Against her wishes, she slowly started to relax under that gentle touch. Even knowing what he was doing didn't help. Holding onto her anger was difficult in the face of such an expert hand. It didn't help that she was...  _sensitive_... to such things. Sex  _was_  nice and all, could be outright fantastic with a properly trained and attentive partner, but a massage? A session of having oils rubbed into stiff muscles or feathers trailed over fresh-clean skin?

Little doses of heaven, in her opinion. Amberdrake was usually the person to search out for such lavish attentions when her stress levels got too high. And shit had been hitting the proverbial fan repeatedly over the past few weeks...

Ah, there. She was starting to relax, to  _enjoy_  his touch. Good. The calmer and more collected she was, the easier it would be to get answers out of her. Not only that, but it would help in the process of training her to respond to  _his_  hand first and foremost. A bit of fire was one thing, but that fire would be tempered, tamed and answer only to him. Kain's rumbling purr grew louder, still reassuring in nature, and he shifted her hair. He began to lightly trace designs over the other side of her throat, starting just beneath the ear.

"Do explain, mine Mirror," he ordered in a low voice.

His tone promised many things, for good or ill.

She shivered, almost violently so, as those sharp tips teased at the skin under her ear. A little more tension drained from her shoulders. Really,  _why_  was he being nice all of a sudden? Her eyes closed and for a moment she simply luxuriated in the  _audible_  caress of his...  ** _purring._**  Was this what it was like to 'cuddle with a tiger'? Curse him for having a voice that could melt butter and... ah, wait... he'd asked something of her, hadn't he?

"My knowledge  _is_  unique, yes," Kay started, blinking her eyes open and looking at him warily over one shoulder, "but Q advise me that I would never be allowed to become a Power. Ever since the betrayal led by the 'Stars of Heaven', it has become a requirement for any 'Power' candidate to disclose much, if not  _all_ , of their true abilities and their natures. What knowledge they bring to the table so to speak. Q refuses to risk  _my_  knowledge being shared openly with the others as if another falling out ever happens, and I wouldn't be surprised if it  _did_ , then that information could ultimately be used against the Chosen. Could be used to  _force_  people into to choosing sides they usually might not agree with. I agreed with his assessment.  _After_  doing my own research of course."

"Hence the male's blatant concern when the Hylden captured you," Kain said thoughtfully and his hand stilled on the back of her neck. He nodded a moment later. "Wise of him."

He abruptly stood, forcing his Mirror up in the process. He took the time to make sure that she was steady on her feet and then continued testing her reactions. Meticulously finding each sensitive spot along the exposed portions of her neck with a practiced hand.

"That fool of a Power seems to have finally gained  _some_  hard-won sense after all," he said in a bemused tone.

Truly, Q seemed to be more of a  _Jester_  than a  _King,_  despite the sheer power that the being had at 'his' fingertips. Seeing that Q had changed himself into a female as well for his little 'prank' had been... worrisome. What  _else_  could said being become? But that was a concern for another time. His current focus was on the woman before him.

"Dammit all!" Kay snarled, a strained gasp escaping her as she was yanked upwards.

While not exactly painful, the sudden change in position was still jarring enough to wrench her out of the sensually induced haze. A part of her appreciated that he'd kept her from stumbling, but she was also pissed off further still by the constant man-handling. The hell did he think he was-? Another violent shiver ran through her and Kay tilted her head to try to block his explorations.

 _And there he goes again with the **touching**!_  she thought in annoyance.  _Dammit!_

Kain's hand slid away from her neck, the talon-tips almost dancing over the line of her shoulder, back toward the neck and then down along the smooth line of her backside. Along her spine. The movements remained both gentle and provocative even though he now touched cloth and not skin. He could taste the frustration bubbling up along the edges of her mind and a low chuckle filled the air.

A frustrated breath escaped her. The touch along her shoulders made her twitch and growl openly, but it was the touch along her  _spine_  that nearly undid her. The feather-light touch nearly,  _nearly_ , forced a pleased gasp out of her. There was no way that he could have known that such a caress, even through the thin jacket and even thinner body suit, could all but make her melt. She could lay on her stomach for hours at a time with her Raphael, or Amberdrake these days, trailing fingers or feather-tip up and down along her spine.

She barely managed to force out a strained little snarl instead of moaning.

Kain chuckled at her forcibly contained responses. The defiant and strained little noise that escaped her. Her scent on the air revealed that she'd been  _pleased_  by the touch, not to mention her thoughts revealed the truth behind the source of that sound. Pulling his mind away from hers, no more than a soft mental 'breeze' signaling his exit, he wrapped teleportation magic around their forms. While the action  _would_  distract her from his mental withdrawal, he also desired to host the rest of their little talk in a more acceptable venue.

He had cleansed Haven's facsimile of the Sanctuary month's ago. The placeholder 'vampires' there had been no match for him. Once done with the 'clean-up', he had taken up residence within the massive structure and had ordered furnishings to suit his standards before 'settling in'. The specific room they ended up in was a sufficient enough simulacrum of his original chambers to suit his current needs.

The large room was equal parts opulent and yet also Spartan in decoration. What limited finery within the room was exquisite to behold. There was the large, luxurious bed tucked against the wall furthest from the doors and windows, covered in silken sheets and the fur of a massive wolf-like being. He couldn't quite recall what the beast had been called by the others, only that it was larger than a  _bear_ and difficult to kill. There was also a pair of exquisitely made end-tables on either side of the bed. Hand-wrought goblets sat empty upon the one closest to the door. The last bit of finery in the room was a set of finely carved chairs placed next to a large, ornate glass table. Upon the table itself lay a meticulously crafted, silver and gold chess set.

Beyond that, the room looked practically barren... until one looked at the  _walls_.

There were several sets of  _chains_  hanging here and there. All of which hung from ornamental-seeming rings. Each set of chains and their subsequent moorings were strong enough to hold an  _Elder_  vampire trapped, despite the fragile-seeming designs of some. They were spaced out around the room, each at different heights. He could position prisoners, Human cattle or even potential lovers however he might wish, all depending on his mood.

The suddenness of the use of his transportation spell left Kay momentarily dizzied and almost sick to her stomach. Whilst it was not as rough of a teleportation as say, Apparition (which she had yet to master), it was still a method of conveyance that she was woefully unaccustomed to. She found herself inordinately glad that she had not had anything to eat recently. Being sick to her stomach would have been... embarrassing.

A chuckle escaped Kain at the dazed, queasy countenance on her face. He gave her enough time to ensure that she would not expel half-digested food upon his floors, then twisted his little Mirror around and shoved her backwards. Her back would strike one of the walls with enough force to leave her further stunned. She was also now pinned next to a set of chains. Close enough for the metal to brush against her arm. He looked over her form and a dangerous, wicked looking smirk curled his lips upwards.

He found himself wondering if she  _knew_  just what it was that she'd been agreed to. What it would  _mean_  to be his Seventh. To completely and irrevocably  _belong_  to him.

Again he let his mind brush against her own and he used the lingering disorientation to nudge her thoughts along those very lines. He would know the truth, even if she did not  _realize_  that she was offering it up to him.

Before she could fully orient herself, but thankfully  _after_  her stomach had settled, she found herself against cold, unyielding stone. Kay bit back a small yip of shock as air was forced from her lungs and a wheezing noise escaped her as she tried to regain her breath. Whilst she'd not the time to notice the sparse finery within the large room, she  _certainly_  noticed the cold touch of the  ** _chains_**!

He might have intended to steer her thoughts a certain way, using a subtly that would have impressed Loki, but it was not to be. Pure panic and outrage flooded through her.  _Any_  organized thought was scrambled. The panic was because the events involving the Hylden and Onigumo had occurred only a few  _months_  ago. Those memories were still close to the surface of her mind despite her bravado. Mind you, the occasional session with Amberdrake had been helping her deal with, no  _overcome_ , those very memories, but they still affected her from time to time. Like  _now_.

The rage?  _That_  was merely due to her stubborn sense of pride. That sudden, uncontrolled,  _fearful_  reaction to the feel of cold metal against her skin  _pissed her off_. She was  _not_  weak and  _refused_  to be bound again without a fight. It did not  _matter_  who was before her or the 'bargains' made. The only thing that mattered was getting  _free_. She lashed out violently, both kicking at Kain with her legs (aiming  _between_  his own) and lashing out with magic in a telekinetic blast meant to force him  _away_.

" _Release me!_ " the words flew from her lips in an angry, uncontrollable roar.

Not a screech, nor a cry or wail, but a full-throated, violent  _bellow_  of sound that most would  _not_  expect to hear emanating from a female's throat.

Now obviously Kain  _knew_  about her capture, both from her own words and from the minor assistance that he himself had provided (he had almost  _gleefully_  cut through rank after rank of Hylden) whilst the woman's immediate allies staged their rescue. He simply _did not care._  Not about her memories, projected so strongly across the faint link that he'd established nor her rage.

His only desire currently was to instill a sense of  _obedience_  into the woman's stubborn hide.

In fact, Kain had actually been  _prepared_  for such a exquisitely defiant outburst. It was why he had made certain that her arm touched said chains. He grabbed up the neighboring set of links in his hand at her howl, shifted easily to avoid the blows aimed for his crotch and then braced his legs in order to resist the magical outburst that he had felt all but boiling beneath her skin. While her kicking did nothing to damage his armored shins, her magic managed to force him back several feet. Only the firm grasp upon the chain and his readied stance prevented him from being thrown bodily into the far wall.

He felt a bemused sense of cold satisfaction.

Such potential. For a  _Human._

Kay used the space afforded to her to scramble to the side. Fear, anger and instinct all contributed to her reaching out for her natural element; electrical magic.  _Lightning_  magic. Part of her remembered that he was not  _truly_  a 'foe', thus the magic drawn upon was calibrated to  _disable,_  not  _harm_. The spell would thus act like a taser. It was something that she'd done to Dante once when he'd lost control of his demon blood and had started to attack friend and foe alike.

She launched the spell at Kain and then rushed, not for the  _door_  which was further away, but for the open  _window_  that she'd glimpsed out of the corner of one eye. She did not know where they were and as such, had no idea as to the building's layout. What she  _did_  know, however, was a number of 'Slow Fall' spells. Spells that prevented what would usually be a fatal plunge.  _Several_  of those spells could be activated at the very last second without risk of injury. It was the best chance that she had to escape and Kay could only hope that whatever spells that might be used to stop her would be rebuffed by the protective runes sewn into her clothing.

The elemental spell that she'd chosen to use was, in a word;  _foolish_. Not only were Lightning based magics  _his own_  default element, but he had long ago  _mastered_  them. Nigh-on  _perfected_  them. He did not bother to release the heavy chain (an object that would usually have acted as a grounding force to send such power  _through_  one's body to detrimental effect) and caught the spell with a dismissive gesture. Energy in hand, he twisted it, converting the magic to his own purpose.

Kain had noticed the a subtle magic weaved through the woman's clothing while she'd been trapped beneath him earlier. Taking a moment to account for said defenses, he calculated the level of power needed to bypass them and then sent the magic in his hand toward her fleeing form. There was always a cold measure of satisfaction when one used an enemies spell against them.

Still, even as he launched said spell at her back, he felt another a flash of darksome amusement and pleasure at her choice of escape route. He knew about her skill with Slow Fall spells, having seen her use them before, thus the decision to escape using the window as opposed to the door was reasonable.

Be that as it may, her efforts would prove to be futile…

The armor might have helped to  _mitigate_  magical damage, but it certainly did not  ** _eliminate_**  it. A howl of pain was ripped from her lips when the spell hit her back. She'd been so close! She fell against the stone opening of the window and her upper body was left hanging out over empty air. Muscles rebelling, her hands scrambled frantically against the window's stone frame in an effort not to tip over the edge completely. With pain wracking her body in waves, she was no longer able to cast a Slow Fall spell. Not  _reliably_  that is.

Even through the haze of agony, she distantly acknowledged that Kain had judged his enhancements to her own spell (she could  _feel_  her energy mixed with his) with a precision that was... impressive. Playing the magical equivalent of  _tennis_  was not something she'd taken up as a  _hobby,_  so she'd been unprepared. Once her body stopped jerking about quite so horribly, she drew upon the Arcane once more. Fire-based magic this time. A spell that could be cast with minimal effort on her  _own_  part given that the  _source_  of the magic came from  _outside._  Ignoring the agony, both in her shoulder and searing along her nerves, she twisted her hand towards the male's larger form with a snarl.

" _Fira_!" she roared.

The hidden armlet on her left arm glowed bright, visible even beneath the cloth of the jacket. One of  _four_  Materia that she had on her person.

Kain  _moved_  even as her hand lifted to point his way and was on her in an instant. Her wrist was now trapped in his grasp. In fact, the chain that he'd been holding hadn't even had the time to  _bounce_  against the wall that it was moored to. No, he'd moved far too fast for any  _human_  to follow. He wrenched her hand up and to the side, pointing that quick-cast spell toward the far corner of the stone ceiling.

"Shit!" Kay swore when she felt his hand close about her wrist and then  _howled_  when her arm was twisted to the side.

The pain in her shoulder flared back up full force. Had she been casting using her  _own_  magic, the fireball spell would have fizzled out. However, as it was a  _Materia_  cast spell the fireball hit the stone wall with a blast of scorching heat that did no damage beyond blackening the stone.

Kain twisted her about, pinning the woman on her back with her upper body still hanging partially out the window. The edges of the stone sill would have already started to dig painfully into the base of her back. His free hand then closed around that fragile neck and he squeezed.  _Gently._  Just enough pressure applied to the carotid arteries to  _forcibly_  calm her through a lack of proper blood-flow to the brain.

Kay let out another angry curse when she was twisted about. Her voice cut off with a choked noise the moment his hand started squeezing. Rather than struggle further, she went still, knuckles turning white as she gripped the stone. Stubborn she might be, but she had no desire to have her throat  _slit open_. When her sight began to dim, spots eating away at the edges of her vision, she almost panicked a second time. With unconsciousness dancing along the edges of her mind, Kay's body twitched reflexively. The movement forced her throat against those too sharp claws and three small cuts opened along the skin. Tiny beads of blood rose up to stain the pale skin.

At this point, her flagging grip upon the stone was nothing more than an effort to remain consciousness...

A hum of satisfaction thrummed through the air. Good. She understood her position and had reacted appropriately. When she spasmed and blood-scent filled the air, he shifted his hold on her enough to inspect the small cuts. Hm. They were minor enough. That she remained still, even wounded, pleased him further still. Kain rewarded her by easing his grip a hairs-breadth. He let go of her wrist and then closed his hand around her hip, shifting her so that her body was balanced a little less...  _precariously._  The stone would continue to dig into her back, yes, but no longer painfully so. At the moment, he wanted her  _attention_ , not her agony. Though, admittedly, that  _could_  change.

 _"Tsaa,"_  his voice was a low and pitched to almost be what one might consider  _kindly._  "Easy now mine Mirror.  _Shh…"_

Kay inhaled a semi-frantic breath of air. The spots in her eyes started to fade and she blinked frantically to clear her vision. What...? A shudder ran through her at his tone and her fingers tightened once more around the wide lip of the windowsill. It took her another moment to relax. She'd no desire to end up unconscious.  _That_  usually ended with one waking up to a far worse situation. Her eyes narrowed on the silver-haired male above her and she tried to figure out what he might do next.

But she couldn't read him. Not now. His expression was the very  _definition_  of 'poker face'. Kay swallowed roughly and then wrapped her anger around herself in an effort to hide the growing fear. She  _refused_  to let him see her growing dismay. Her pride demanded nothing less.

While a commendable, her efforts were for naught. Kain could  _taste_  the bitter-sweet tang of her fear,  _see_  the dread that caused small beads of sweat to form her brow and  _hear_  the rapid beat of her heart. There were even the fine, oh-so-subtle-sweet tremors rocking through her body to be  _felt_ and  ** _enjoyed_ _._**  In this moment, she was like a living sculpture. An exhibit dedicated to exquisite, nearly  _transcendent,_  helplessness.

That distress was quite a fetching thing indeed.

Another pleased rumble escaped him and Kain moved his hand away from her hip. Shifting carefully, he pressed his lower body against her own. It was neither threat nor promise of what might very well come to pass over the next few hours. No, he only meant to keep her pinned in a way that would prevent her from  _kicking_. Again his mind brushed against her own. Nudging.  _Coaxing_. Easing a question to the forefront of her mind; What did she know of him and his kin?

The subtle nudge worked and pure frustration seared through Kay's mind.

 _Damn this entire agreement!_  she thought viciously to herself. _Damn him **and**  his kin!_

Knowledge was sometimes a curse. She knew from her studies that she would be 'his' once Turned.  _Knew_  that such a thing could mean anything from being tossed aside to flounder on her own (an ideal option in her opinion as she preferred to be in control of her own damned life) to being bound to his will. Perhaps even bound to his bed as a 'distraction'. It might even mean being treated as an  _actual_  Lieutenant. As Kain's Seventh Childe she could be taught, guided and forged by a ruthless hand to be as lethal and clever as she could possibly be. For all she knew it might end up being some odd combination of  ** _all_**  of those options, with the 'being tossed out' part used as a lesson on how to survive on her own.

She wouldn't put it past him.

Baring her teeth and ducking her chin both in frustration and to protect her throat (a habit she'd had  _before_  reading up on his kind but still used regardless as a subtle defiance) Kay frantically tried to think of a way out of the mess she was currently in. Beyond magic and the various pouches of stones, she  _did_  have additional weapons. The problem was  _reaching_  said weapons. And then there was the fact that Kain had proven that he could sense even the  _gentlest_  draw of arcana, so she couldn't force him away a second time with her magic. Then again, there were the three other Materia gems... The right word at the right time  _might_  be enough. She'd just have to bide her time and wait for his hand to move away from her neck.

Kain  _almost_  let out a bark of laughter. Her outrage was amusing. Understandable yes, but undeniably amusing. Still... his own thoughts darkened at the unbidden path her thoughts had gone down. So, the pup had known  _precisely_  what she had been doing with those small ducks of her chin, the brief grimaces that bared blunt teeth and the ineffectual growls that had escaped her throat as they talked, hm?

How very brazen of her. Foolish, impertinent even, but still a shamelessly bold thing to do. Especially since her thoughts made it plain that she'd not expected him to ever  _learn_  about her audacity. A thorough lessoning was definitely in order. Such insolence would not be tolerated. Not only that...

 _ **Already**  plotting to get free, hmm mine Little Mirror?_ he thought to himself.

Using the tip of one talon, he slit the arm of the short-sleeved jacket open along the seam, revealing the source of the spell she'd cast earlier. An armlet that housed the three other Materia that she'd been thinking of. He was quite certain he recognized the green stone as a Time Materia. A clever item that could either speed up her own movements or slow (perhaps even outright  _halt_ ) his. No wonder her thoughts had turned to 'biding her time'. How delightful.

Kain removed the armlet, crimping and then cutting the weakened metal with his talons. He examined the remains critically. From the look of it, all she had to do was grab hold of the armlet itself and she'd be able to cast. Again very clever, but ultimately useless if the stones had been removed from the band. He nodded to himself and twisted the tip of his thumb-talon under each stone, separating them from their moorings. Three of the four stones fell and scattered uselessly across the floor of the room. The Time Materia he saved for last, holding it up so she could watch as  _that_  Materia was sent flying straight out the window with a simple flick. His smile was a cold and cruel thing to behold.

 _Well then... **that**  plan  **literally**  just went right out the window,_ Kay thought numbly.

Kay's mind started to race a second later. What the hell could she do  _now?_  The Time Materia had been her  _best_  possible chance to gain the upper hand. Or at the very least the best chance to  _escape!_  Unless she went for a head-shot, her guns were useless. The gemstones required her to say a trigger word  _and_  maintain skin contact to activate. Her wands? No. As if he would give her the chance to  _speak_  any of the mangled Latin needed, let alone allow her to reach the hidden wands.

 _Well... shit,_  she thought as panic filled her.  _Nothing. There's **nothing**  I can do!_

Ah,  _there_  it was. The acknowledgement, at least mentally, that she was completely at his mercy. Check and mate. Chuckling, and easing his mind away from hers, Kain tossed the ruined metal aside. He eyed her trembling form and a let out a satisfied hum. Shifting his grasp once more, and briefly tightening his hold about her neck in warning, he began to search her person for the hidden weapons. She'd thought of a number of different items before he'd withdrawn. Best to cut off any further thought of rebellion by removing all temptation.

Kay remained sullenly quiet. If he was inattentive then...  _ha_. Who was she trying to kid? Still, unlikely as it was, he  _might_  miss something as he searched her. There were two concealed wand holsters; one in her boot and the other was actually the thin, fragile seeming bracelet around her right wrist. Her earrings each had a tiny gemstone wrapped in a delicate weave of gold and silver to conceal them. No less than  _eight_  small pouches were filled with even more precious gems, various healing items, potions and more. Seven knifes of various sizes, each with a gemstone hilt, were hidden amongst the thin seeming clothing that she wore. Last, but not least, there were the two pistols, one holstered visibly on each thigh. Pistols that, while small, packed a  _potentially_  lethal punch.

A veritable arsenal indeed when one counted all of the gemstones really. If he found all of it, then it would be made very clear that she had only been attempting to  _flee_  from Kain earlier, not outright  _fight_  him.

Kain continued to search her and eventually let out a delighted hum as the pile of items that were tossed aside grew larger and then  _larger still_. Really, the sheer amount of items hidden about her person was quite frankly amusing... and impressive. He might have been tempted to call her paranoid if he hadn't been aware of the types of Beings that called Haven their home, however temporary. Necessity dictated that one remain armed at all times. He paused briefly in his search and, rather than risk a hidden weapon being pulled on him later by clever fingers, decided to expedite the matter by the simple means of divesting her of the jacket. If need be he would strip her of her the body suit as well.

He cut the rest of the jacket away in a careless manner and then lifted each leg in turn in order to pull off her boots and toss those aside as well. If there had been any blades hidden in her footwear, then they would be out of her reach. He eyed the body suit and flicked the tip of one talon against it in a testing cut.

The cloth did not, and would not, cut  _that_  easily and Kay felt the smallest flicker of relief. Light weight and thin, the outfit was stronger than steel and more resilient than Kevlar. Made from Acromantula Silk, the suit had been an expensive purchase even for  _her_  and that was before one considered the runes of protection sewn into said fabric and the numerous hidden pockets. It'd still hurt like hell getting hit by a bullet or a sword, but the cloth would  _hold_  and that was the important part. It afforded her a better chance at survival when compared to bulkier armor sets.

The weakest point of the suit was the seams, but that was true of all clothing.

With the jacket out of the way Kain searched the woman thoroughly. In the process he found several pouches, both of the guns and a number of hidden blades secreted away in hidden pockets. He frowned. Given the sheer number of hidden pockets that he'd found so far... why it was almost as if she had access to an extra-dimensional storage space.

Interesting...

He turned his attention to the jewelry next.

Kain eyed the bracelet upon her wrist briefly and, upon sensing the enchantment, he snapped the clasp of the chain and tossed it aside. He then forced her head to the side gently, first left and then right whilst examining the earrings. The gold and silver weaving was a lovely design, but he still caught the reflective glint of the small gemstones hidden beneath. He gently removed the earrings. His talons traced a teasingly light pattern over the soft shell of each ear before his hand lowered to rest on her hips. His grasp was firm and unyielding as he eyed her silent form contemplatively.

When he'd removed the earrings, she had to contain a small shiver. The deft and light touch along the delicate shell  _was_  pleasant... and thus something to be avoided. Yet she did not move to pull away. No, better that he think her, if not  _tamed_ , then at least reticent and unwilling to challenge him any further. In fact, by the time he was done she'd been left wearing just the skin-tight bodysuit and her wedding band. It was a simple band of unadorned white-gold. Though the band was important to her, she would not have fought him over it. Objects could be replaced… even if the ring was the only physical reminder of her Raphael that she had left.

Still, she could not help but speak when his hands finally went still against her form.

"Are you done?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Do you mean to ask if I am finished searching for weapons?" he hummed softly. He'd seen the ring. As it was a simple band with no gems, nor any enchantments, he'd left it alone. "If so, yes. As for our little discussion regarding your poor manners? No. We are not  _'done'_  just yet."

Kain kept his grip her neck and reached down with his free hand to grab hold of her right ankle. He forced the leg out and to the side. Slowly. At the same time, he forced her upper body back further still over the edge of the sill in a silent warning to  _remain still_. He stopped only when her leg was parallel with the wall. How would she react? Would she deny that her actions earlier could be considered anything other than  _rude_? Especially now that Kain knew the truth from  ** _her own mind_**? He watched her expression intently, hungrily, all whilst keeping her hips pinned in place with his own.

"My 'poor manners'? The he- _Gah!_ **"**  a choked sound escaped Kay's throat.

Back arching reflexively to escape the pain centered along both leg and spine and hands scrambling against the cold stone of the windowsill, Kay struggled to hold still and not cut herself on his claws a second time. That... was no easy thing to do though. Whilst fit, she was no acrobat like  _Robin_  to have her leg contorted so! Said limb twitched and jerked abortively despite her efforts.

"Indeed," he purred in a low tone that bordered on threatening. "I invited you freely into my domicile, into my own rooms no less, only to have you attack me with  _fire_."

Kain shifted her leg just a little further so that it was pressed firmly against the wall and watched her expression with ruthless satisfaction. He knew that her face would twist with anger, helpless fear and, most important, with  _pain_.

"' _Invited_ '?! You  _dragged_ -!" her voice broke off with something far too close to that of a whine.

 _The **hell**  is he  **doing?!**_  she thought, glaring at him whilst also trying to breathe past the pain.

The pride-filled glare made him chuckle. He released the leg and then grabbed her throat with that same hand. Moving with a purposeful slowness, he reached down this time with his right hand to repeat the process with the other limb.

"Not only were you quite rude my  _dear_  little Mirror," he continued, blatantly ignoring her verbal outburst, "but earlier you dared to play the role of a recalcitrant fledgling. Did you think that I would not  _notice_? That such impertinence would go  _unpunished_?"

A hissing breath of relief escaped her as he let go of her leg. The sudden lack of pain momentarily dazed her and she blinked rapidly, his words slowly filtering through her mind. Kay paled as the gravity of said words finally registered to her.

 _How did he know-?_  her train of thought broke off when she realized he was reaching for her other leg.  _Shit, not again!_

A snarl escaped her and she squirmed about, trying to keep the leg from his grasp. The limb was all too easily caught up in his grasp however and she almost let out a roar of frustration. It wasn't surprising, if she was being honest. His preternatural reflexes were impressive. Still, his actions were odd. It almost as if he were... he  _had_  mentioned a punishment... no. He  _couldn't_  be. A flash of cold insight seared through her, rapidly followed by pure, unadulterated outrage.

"I am  _not_  a  _horse_!" she roared. Her sense of pride won out over taking any kind of 'wait and see' approach to the situation. " _Release me!_ "

She started to call on her magic and tried to wriggle her body backwards. She would kick him in the groin with her free leg if she had to, but she was not going to just lay there and be looked over like an  _animal up for sale!_

Cold amusement filled Kain at the woman's indignant outburst. At least she hadn't started spouting denials. All of his amusement disappeared when the thrum of the woman's magic filled the air.  _Again_? Was she  _truly_  so foolish? Did she not understand what he  _would_  do to her if she continued along this ill-advised path of defiance? Snarling, he spun about, pulling her back inside and flinging her bodily toward the far wall.

Why  _that_  wall? Why because there was a particular set of manacles hanging from it. Manacles that had runes carved into them, runes designed to cut a mage off from their energy. He moved swiftly and, before she could even begin to recover from the impact, swiftly bound her wrists with said restraints. She would not have the time to cast even a  _minor_  spell his way.

The force behind that throw was strong enough, and fast enough, to leave Kay dazed and unable to brace for impact. She let out a pained yelp when her side hit the wall.

 _ **That'll**  bruise..._ she thought, feeling decidedly confounded by the blow.

Even dazed as she was, she started to buck and writhe sluggishly the moment his hands closed around her forearms. Cold metal brush her wrists and she attempted to focus her will on a spell to force him back. A strangled gasp escaped Kay's throat when the manacles clicked into place. Her magic was suddenly,  _painfully_ , cut off from her. The loss left her feeling bereft, lost. Cold down to the very marrow of her bones.

She started to tremble violently, feeling outraged, not fearful, never fearful, and snarled, resuming her desperate efforts to get free. While he hadn't used a key to lock the shackles, she knew that if she could figure out the trick to them, she'd still have a chance to get loose.

" _Enough_  of your  _impertinence_  woman!" he growled as he easily dodged the thrashing limbs. "You will  _behave_  yourself!"

Kain pushed close, pinning her against the wall, and caught her chin firmly in his taloned hand. Giving her head a small shake, he growled in her face, fangs bared in blatant warning.

"You had  _best_  understand, mine little Mirror," he started in a low voice that promised swift retribution, "that I will do whatever I please with you,  _especially_  now that I know the truth behind your presence here. You are  _mine_  now and you  _know_  this, so you will cease your futile struggles lest you convince me to carry out my initial promise!"

"Go fuck yourself!" she shouted furiously at him.

Kay went still and paled when her brain caught up with her mouth. That... had been a risky. Outright idiotic even. What she'd reflexively shouted had been meant as an  _insult_ , however... Well, the words could be taken to mean something quite different by the Vampire Lord in front of her. Hopefully not, yet she  _knew_  what was expected of a fledgling and if Kain  _wasn't_  bluffing about knowing her thoughts then Kay knew what  _she'd_  be doing in his shoes and... that wasn't a comforting thought in the slightest.

Accepting an offer to be Turned into a Vampire was tantamount to  _outright_  verbal consent for... just about anything really. She was screwed. Likely in the literal sense...

A noble brow arched at the woman's words and Kain lips slowly curled up in a vicious smirk. His was a sadistic expression that was all fang. A look that would have frozen even  _Raziel_  in place. An understandable reaction when one considered just how well Kain's First Lieutenant knew his Sire's moods. Her words were malicious, resentful and he was very well aware of the insult behind them, but  _that_  phrase had indeed been a poor one to use.

Especially when one took into account their rather  _unique_  situation.

 _Ah **shit**_ **,**  she thought, her eyes widening. The expression on his face did  _not_  bode well for her continued good health.

Kay now knew what it felt like to be 'a deer caught in the head-lights'. And she  _hated_  it. The fact that she couldn't seem to speak past the now rapid-fire pulse thudding away in her throat made her that much more upset. Why, just  _why_  did she have to be such a stubborn fool?! If she'd just been able to keep  _calm_  and not fly off the handle then things might have gone a little differently. The damned chains didn't help any either! Those damned, horrible,  _inconvenient_  memories were bubbling up again, threatening to overwhelm her completely.

 _Shit,_  she thought again, clenching her teeth and closing her eyes.  ** _Shit!_**

Low, rumbling laughter echoed in the room and Kain leaned in close. He forced the woman's head up, exposing the smooth expanse of her throat. His tongue flicked out to slowly, gently tracing over that frantic beat thrumming just beneath the skin. The rapid fluttering of her heart was like that of a small bird caught beneath his tongue. Her trepidation was enticing. Before, she had tried to hide her fear behind wild-fire anger. Now?

All that remained was raw  _despair_.

 _Exquisite,_ he thought.

"You insist so adroitly, mine Mirror," Kain purred in a too-sweet tone. His lips brushed teasingly against the soft surface of her neck as he spoke. "I do believe that I shall consider myself ' _persuaded_ ' to acquiesce to your oh-so- _eager_  request."

He pulled back and swiftly forced his lips against her own in a harsh and claiming kiss. The woman would not have the time to do anything more than form a  _token_  protest, if anything at all. He would not allow her the opportunity to deny what she'd  _said_  versus what had been  _meant_.

"Not an off-!" Kay's voice broke of in a choked noise at the forcefulness of the kiss and her eyes flew wide.

Startled panic filled her and she writhed about. Fangs nicked over her lower lip, small pinpricks of almost-pain that helped her remember her anger; anger at the situation, anger at the indignity of being chained and, most important of all, anger as a  _shield_ against the fear. She snarled against his mouth and tried to turn her head away.

But all her struggles were for naught. Keeping a firm grip upon her chin, Kain moved with her struggles. He indulged and savored the taste of those plump lips. The blood drawn was eagerly lapped up with fluid sweeps of his tongue. The earlier chase had whet his appetite for such claret colored fluid, which was as rich as any liquor. There was no doubting that. Still, with her bound so before him another,  _equally_  primal, craving had reared its' head.

A whimpering keen nearly escaped her. At the last second she was able to turn the noise into a frustrated roar. The bellow may have been muffled, but it was still emphatic in nature and, despite the clear danger, Kay kept trying to twist her head free. If that failed, and she  _knew_  that it would, then she was fully prepared to bite down and damn the consequences!

Kain immediately shifted his grip from her chin to her jaw when he felt her tense in preparation to bite. He squeezed down just as she opened her mouth, preventing her from carrying out such a  _misguided_  retaliation. Willful thing. The hold was surprisingly gentle. Only a sufficient enough pressure was used to keep her mouth open but  _not_  slice into her cheeks.

By all the… would  _nothing_  go her way today?! She twisted and squirmed about when he trapped her jaw open. His grip was vice-like. Another cry escaped her throat, this one high and frantic. An exclamation filled with frustration, discomfort and, worst of all, a ringing, strident and forlorn note.

She felt so... so...  _defenseless_.

His tongue darted into that sweet, impertinent mouth and he all but purred as he swallowed down that euphonic little cry. Such unfeigned emotion deserved a reward, did it not? He reached up and slit her suit open along the seams, starting at the sleeves. Her arms, chest and upper sides were bared to him within seconds. A moment later talon-tips started to trail teasingly along the woman's side and then under each breast. After several moments, he sliced the outfit open all the way to her hips. Even as the cloth fell away, he did not break that heated kiss, instead opting to continue his exploration of her mouth with a deftness and skill that slowly...  _gentled_... and become a tempting invitation designed to  _entice_. To  _ **seduce**_.

Cold air hit warm skin, resulting in the usual (and quite natural) reaction. She shivered, all but trembling beneath his hand. That deceptively light touch was...  _almost_... pleasant. Kay knew that she should simply relent, given her end goal, yet her own contrary nature and the foul memories conspired against her. Hands tugged ineffectually, almost frantically, at the chains as memory almost overlapped reality. Only the unique taste of his mouth and the sudden…  _care_... that he was taking with her, kept her from succumbing to a panic-born flashback. It was... bizarre really. The Vampire Lord's strange showing of  _tenderness_  was actually doing much to keep her psyche from falling prey to the memories of Onigumo's own piss poor (and  _torturous_ ) attempts at 'seduction'.

Once the smooth skin of the woman's upper body was revealed in full, Kain trailed a sword-roughened, corrugated palm against the soft flesh of her breast. A smile curled his lips upwards again. The feel of hardened peaks, the soft tremors rocking the lithe form under his hand... how  _enticing_. He pulled back from the kiss and gave her lower lip a small, warning nip. Just enough force to draw two ruby-colored beads of blood. He watched the blood well and then lapped up that living vitae with a gliding sweep of his tongue.

Not that the woman knew it, but her blood held a  _hint_  of budding power within it. A flavor akin to that of a storm brewing in the far distance. Oh yes, the youth of her power and shear potential were writ clear in that sweet nectar. Such an enchanting treat.

Kay glared at him when he pulled back and just barely managed to avoid wincing at the painful nip. Her hands and fingers twisted uselessly around the chain's wide links. There would be no bending  _this_  metal. Not with a Human's feeble strength.  _Damn it_. She let herself fall limp with a tiny growl, fairly vibrating with outrage. The look in her eyes radiated a sense of 'get it over with'.

If her pride, memories and the damned, reflexive anger regarding said memories hadn't been getting in the way, she might have actually tried to relax and enjoy herself instead. As it was, she took in a slow breath and purposefully,  _insolently_ , tucked her chin back down.

Kain took in the sight of her defiant posture and smirked. The tucked chin, the enraged expression, the small tremors of fear... even the near  _wild_  look in her eyes. He continued to look over her with a proprietary air and chuckled coldly. It was easy enough to see what she was doing, easy to see that she  _expected_  pain. Likely she had even assumed that she would be beaten and tortured in a similar manner as before. Ah well... He  _had_  threatened to do just that at the start of their conversation hadn't he?

However, his little Mirror's efforts would be as moot as her escape attempts. While he hated to disappoint her (as he did so enjoy  _meeting_ , if not outright  ** _exceeding_ ,** his enemies expectations of him) pain was not the  _only_  tool in his arsenal. There was much that he could do to tame her to his hand that did not involve pain. A faint hum escaped him as he again brushed his mind over hers. What was that clever little human idiom about flies again?

Ah  _yes,_  that was it; 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.'

The laughter made her tense. There was something in his expression that made Kay want to both relax  _and_  bolt all at the same time. Why wasn't he just…  _forcing_  the issue? She wanted this farce to be over and done with so she could go about on her business. He wasn't... he wasn't actually thinking about  _keeping_  her or something. Was he? No, that was foolish. He had far more important things to worry about than a new,  ** _Otherworldly-_** _bo_ _rn_  fledgling to 'raise'. In all honestly, the most she expected from him was a 'wham, bam, thank-you-ma'am' kind of Turning before being tossed out on her ass.

Hopefully not while it was  _raining_.

If Kain  _had_  gained Raziel's immunity to water during the whole purification thing, and said ability  _didn't_  pass to her, well... such a scenario wouldn't end well for her in the slightest.

He almost burst into outright laughter at the sudden turn that the woman's thoughts had taken. Kain had been tempted, on more than one occasion, to do  _just_  that with his male progeny. Especially given some of the rather  _idiotic_  stunts that they'd pulled over the years. Misadventures that they had only managed to survive by the skin of their teeth. Hopefully the woman would prove wiser than his Son's.

Amusement flickered in his eyes and he reached out to slowly strip away the remains of the suit. He mapped the more sensitive areas as he went; the curves of her ass, the bend of each knee, her ankles, feet and then back up even as he moved forward to pin her lower body against the wall once more with his hips. Not close enough to grind his groin against her own, not yet, but definitely enough to trap her legs to the sides of his hips as he explored her body. His hands trailed high along her sides, up and over her shoulders and then across her neck. From there he moved higher still, talon-tips trailing over bound arms. Her wrists. Even the  _palms_  of her hands were explored with lingering, swirling caresses. He leaned in close, nose brushing her hair as he took in her subtly changing scent. Ah, but he would find each and  _every one_  of her erogenous zones and then use them to shatter her mind wide open.

From there? Well... once she was mindless from pleasure, he'd test how she reacted to a little bit of pain. If she was to be his fledgling, then she would need to learn how to  _submit._  Her pain, or her pleasure, were to be offered up to him upon command. This darling little 'Kayne' would learn well the  _rapture_  that was to be found in obedience.

Kay glared at him, feeling almost...  _sullen…_  as he peeled away the remains of her clothes. Admittedly, she did flush a bright red at the light brushes of his talons over her skin. She tried to wriggle her legs to the side, tangling her fingers as high as she could along the links of the chains in an effort to both brace herself  _and_  try to pull away from his groin. Yet the chains were  _heavy._  She could only lift herself up an inch or so away from him. When he moved back up along her body, the feather-light touch at the bend of her arms and then her wrists forced a shiver through her.

Rather than let a moan escape her, she  _hissed_  at him like an angry cat and tried to lash out with her knee once she had the wiggle room. A solid enough blow to the crotch should be enough to deter even him. For a little while at least.

_Maybe._

Such wild thoughts were easy enough to read and Kain caught her knee in hand before the blow could land. Boisterous creature. A small huff escaped him, the breath teasing over her cheek as he pulled back. He looked down at her leg as if examining a particularly interesting object. He glanced back up without moving his head and his lips curled up into another, deadly looking smirk. Kain forced the leg up and shifted his grip to her foot before starting to trail his talons over the sole, mindful of the far too fragile skin. Grasp shifting once more, he started to apply a slow, massaging pressure with the knuckle of his thumb.

Dammit, why did he have to move so  _fast?_  Not only that, but now she couldn't move her foot.  _Again_.

Shit.

Kay's blush deepened at the sudden...  _massage_ …? What the... why? Well crap _._  She'd expected him to twist her leg or something along those lines! Now?  _Now_  she was simply confused. Sure, that last bit had felt good but why would he...? His thumb started rubbing along the arch of her foot. A strangled moan escaped her before she could contain it. That felt  _real_  good.

 _Oh?_   _What's this?_ His smirk widened. It seemed that this was a particularly sensitive area indeed to have produced such a harmonious sound from that sweet throat. He repeated the movement, applying just a  _little_  more pressure as he did so. Perhaps it would illicit another rich little cry for him to enjoy?

Aaaand he was grinning at her. Hackles raising, she snarled. She wasn't some.. some  _toy_  dammit! Trying to draw on her magic still didn't do a damned bit of good. Just a cold sensation where once there had once been warm tingling. It didn't help that the effort to maintain her anger was... becoming difficult. With no pain forthcoming, there was little reason for the same snappy attitude that she'd maintained with Onigumo and...

And...

**_Oooh!_ **

_Haaaaa..._  well then…

That massaging pressure hadn't  _stopped,_  now had it? Kay fought the urge to squirm and barely contained yet another strangled cry. No. Angry. She was  _supposed_  to be  _angry_!

Kain hummed softly, still smirking as he evaluated her reactions to his ministrations. Really, the woman's thoughts were all over the place as she fought against natural instinct. Lifting the limb high and stepping back at the same time, he shifted and pressed lips against the skin of the inner ankle. He waited a moment and then scraped the backs of his fangs lightly over that soft surface in a testing graze.

Clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth, she fought to prevent a soft, all too feminine gasp from escaping her lips when his fangs brushed against what was yet  _another_  sensitive area for her. She could practically feel the blush spreading over the rest of her body, turning her skin a bright peach-pink.

"Ngh," Kay bit down on her lower lip and ducked her head down, letting out a weak hiss of breath in the process.

Another chuckle escaped him and he shifted close once more. What with the current grip, her knee would be forced against her chest. Kain shifted enough to brace a knee against the wall, her other leg resting against his outer thigh. She'd be unable to squirm about and make another attempt at his crotch now. His free hand trailed up to rest just below her knee and those golden eyes narrowed on the lithe form before him.

Would she continue to act like a kitten that had been dunked into a river? Hissing and spitting in furious,  _ineffectual_  rage?

" _Mph!_ " a strained grunt filled the air.

Having her knee shoved against her chest so forcefully may have left her momentarily breathless, but it  _also_  helped her re-center her thoughts. She started to squirm about wildly, a sense of helpless frustration ratcheting higher and higher still as embarrassment flooded her thoughts.

 _Damn **him**! Damn _ Q _! Damn this **entire situation**!_  she thought, clenching her eyes shut.

This was  _not_  how she'd wanted this 'conversation' to go! She'd even had several plans in place to help her broach the subject of her Turning. Most of which had involved the rather simple opening of 'so 'x' was done to help you and Raziel, would you be willing to hear me out with regards to 'y' situation in return?'. Hell, she'd intended to be  _polite_  about it. Maybe bring some high quality alcohol from her world along. Perhaps even 'quality' blood. Something,  _anything_ , to help ensure that she spoke with him on  _somewhat_  equal footing!

Kain idly examined the woman's rather tenuous plans as they raced through her head and  _chuckled._  He truly doubted that this little 'talk' of theirs would have gone any differently. No, the woman was stubborn and would likely have been just as defiant in such a situation as she was now. He was especially amused by the thought that such a conversation could ever have been held on 'equal footing'. Such a quaint little concept that.

It was,  _and always would be_ , the potential _Sire_  that controlled such... 'discussions'.

Dismissing the thought, Kain let his hand climb up along her inner thigh, watching through hooded eyes as the blush staining her skin darkened further still beneath his touch. A responsive creature indeed, but in truth he was not terribly surprised by that knowledge. He, too, had greatly enjoyed both sensual and carnal activities in his youth. Even now he considered himself to be exceedingly self-indulgent. He could find satisfaction in Raziel's form for hours, if not  _days_ , on end after all.

Now... how to handle her from here? More tantalizing caresses designed to break down those stubborn defenses? Or perhaps more forceful action would be required? What would prove to be the final tipping point as he tamed this wild little pup?

Kay re-opened her eyes and glared weakly at the male in front of her. She'd not yet noticed his mental presence, but the older male  _did_  have millennia upon millennia of experience versus her own, rather limited, skill-set. It did not help that she was rather distracted by his actions. A furious hiss of breath escaped her lips as his hand slowly moved up. She was fighting a losing battle against the desire that had been kindled by those light, grazing touches along her thigh and she knew it.

It pissed her off to no end but she could not deny that his touch was enjoyable. Yet she almost preferred the thought of facing pain at his hand rather than these gentle caresses. At least  _then_  she'd have had a reason to  _stay_  angry.

 _Pleasure then,_  Kain thought decisively, another huff of laughter escaping him.

By her earlier thoughts, as well as the memories that were bubbling so close to the surface of her mind, the woman was  _clearly_  stressed enough to already be at a breaking point.  _Without_  his assistance. Pain would only help her in her efforts to center herself. Help the desire  _fight_  him rather than  _yield_  as was required of a potential fledgling.

He pulled back from her mind and smiled darkly at the half-defiant expression on her face. The sweet little hiss of sound, made as she wriggled about, was enchanting. So like that of a helpless fledgling that had been trussed up for his amusement. He continued to lick, kiss and nibble his way up the line of her leg. His movements slowly forced the limb to point upwards, forced her lower body to curl  _inwards_ , as he drew closer and closer still to far more sensitive areas. He braced his other hand against the wall so that her free leg would remain trapped near his upper chest as her body was slowly bent roughly into that of a V-shape. There was no need to leave the chance of a knee being driven into the side of his head.

Kay bucked wildly as he moved. Writhing from the pleasure as well as the continued strain being placed on her body. It certainly wasn't a comfortable position and her shoulder  _still_  hurt like  _hell._  A hissing breath escaped her and she abruptly stilled. With her toes now pointed directly at the ceiling, the limb began to twitch with small, uncontrolled spasms. That he was licking and nipping didn't help. The natural, jerking reactions to those kind of touches only made the brief pain sparks worse. Letting out a groan, she tried to twist away from that probing, searching mouth. Tried to also shift so that the brunt of her weight was affected her undamaged arm.

 _Ah... such **honeyed**  little noises,_ Kain thought with a satisfied purr.

Kain's nose brushed oh-so-lightly against sensitive folds. The woman's scent hit him full force and an eager shudder ran through him. He paused in his explorations and breathed in slowly, savoring the heady scent. Unease, fear, pain, furious indignation… and the exhilarating scent of a woman on the edge of sexual excitement. How wonderful. He felt himself start to harden rapidly and let out a low, pleased growl against her skin.

Oh, but it would be a delectable treat  _indeed_  to break her open upon his cock.

It had been quite some time since he'd last had the chance to enjoy himself with a nubile  _female_  partner instead of a male. The natural slickness and heat of a woman's body was always a delightful pleasure for one to indulge in when one had the time. Now then... would she cede to his authority with sweet, imploring cries for more of his touch? A wickedly soft chuckle escaped him at the thought and his tongue flicked out to tease gently over her clit. Not at first, oh no. She would first fight until the point of exhaustion and then…

 _Then_  he would claim the whole of her.

When his mouth started to near her folds, Kay let out a breathy snarl. Bound as she was with limbs pinned, she could do nothing but hang there helpless and trapped. Dammit all! She wanted to - his nose brushed against her neatly trimmed mound and derailed her thoughts. The chill as he slowly took in her scent made her shiver. She twitched as second later as the vibrations caused by his growl teased over her skin. When that was followed up by the sudden-warm touch of his tongue passing over the sensitive nub, she jolted violently  _forward._  Coherent thought had been chased away quite thoroughly in a matter of  _seconds_. Her head thumped back against the wall and a shocked cry of denial filled the air a moment later as her thoughts re-aligned. She twisted about as much as possible in an effort to pull away and even tried to knee him in the side with her free leg.

Sadly, the angle was a poor one and the blow was weaker than intended.

Kain let out a rumbling laugh when he felt the ineffectual blow. His breath ghosted over her folds before his mouth closed around her clit. Flicking his tongue out again and again in slow, lingering passes, he took the time to judge just how responsive that small nub actually was. No woman's flesh was as sensitive as any other's. Nor was any  _man's_  in truth. One needed to take into account each individual's  _unique_  reactions when it came to pleasure. The woman may have had many a skilled lover over the years, and she may have even trained several to suit her personal needs, but that did not matter now. Not a single one of them would compare to himself. She would be  _mewling_  by the time he was done.

After all, who would dare to think that a several thousand-year-old vampire's sexual prowess might in any way be  _lacking?_

" _Nnnngh_ ," Kay groaned and then shook her head in an effort to clear it.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Kay tried to stifle the small cries of pleasure. She knew that he would enjoy any and  _all_  noises she made. Just as  _she_  would have were she in his place to be honest. Wringing such sounds out of her own lovers had always been an enjoyable hobby. Except...  _those_  encounters always had rules firmly set in place beforehand. Safe-words agreed upon. Lines drawn in the metaphorical sand. Human rules for Human (and sometimes  _not-_ so-Human) lovers. But this male was her darkened Mirror. He obeyed no rules save  _his own_. No  _safe word_ , no amount of  _pleading_  or even outright  ** _begging_ ,** would deter him. No, Kain was an Emperor long used to holding absolute power over those beneath him.

She  _knew_  this. Knew it down to the depths of her soul. He held all the cards and there was no use denying it. Shivers wracked through her form as the pleasure mounted and Kay tried not to arch against him as his tongue explored her body. But she couldn't help it. Couldn't  _fight_  it. Halting the tiny, bucking movements  _into_  his touch was like trying to stop the  _tide from rising._  The skillful passes of his tongue over her clit were...

**_Heavenly_.**

"That's a  _good_  girl…" he purred against heated skin when she started to meet his touch.

Each shivering gasp and repressed twitch was noted. Every bitten back, whimpering cry  _thoroughly_  enjoyed. The noises of pleasure and denial both sent sharp, thrilling shivers of lust through him. His leathers were already  _far_  too confining. Tongue flicking up under the hood, he started to circle the delicate nub with said nimble organ. A moment later and he began to apply a gentle, suckling pressure. None of the probing sweeps would be enough to send her over the edge. Oh no. Not yet. Every gentle caress, every delicate lick and light suckle was designed to stoke that heat, that need for  _more_ , higher and higher still.

Though, as he  _was_  a self-proclaimed gentleman, he remained mindful of his fangs lest they scratch the oh-so-delicate flesh that he was teasing.

"Gnn...  _aah!_ " a strangled shout escaped Kay's lips before she could suppress it.

While Kay's expression darkened with both frustration and need, she did not cease in her struggles. It was simply not in her nature to submit without at least  _some_  semblance of a fight. And Kay  _would_  continue to fight. At least until the point that her energy failed her. And so she kneed his side again… and  _again_ … and  ** _again_.**  Even knowing that the blows would be ineffectual, she still lashed out in the hopes that maybe, just  _maybe,_  she'd land a blow that might briefly weaken his grip or at least drive him off out of frustration.

Kay's pride would not,  _could not **,**_  allow for anything less.

And that fire, that stubborn willfulness to face the inevitable with a head held high and teeth bared, only made the wild little thing that much more  _enticing._  The thought of bringing her to her knees, to that delectable point where she would be  _screaming_  for more? Sweet ambrosia. Grabbing her flailing limb, he shifted it up over his shoulder and pinned it swiftly in place with a heavy hand. The blows had been about as effective as a gnat on a horse's hide, but they were still brief points of annoyance to be dealt with. He eased back, releasing her clit in order to lick a slow path along the line of her slit and then again. The tantalizingly slow passes of a tongue well practiced in the arts of the flesh would do much to stifle that fractious temper.

"Fu-  _dammit_  all!" she squirmed about when he easily trapped her other leg.

A rather...  _undignified_... squeak escaped Kay at the sudden path that his tongue took. That was… good. More than good actually. She bit into her lower lip in an effort to stifle the sounds trying to escape her and only succeeded in reopening the small wounds that had just stopped bleeding.

Another huffing laugh escaped him when she  _squeaked_  of all things. How  _precious._  He paused for a moment with his tongue teasing at her entrance, tasting the gathering nectar and scenting the fresh blood in the air… then plunged his tongue inside. Delving deep, he searched about thoroughly for that most sensitive spot within her.

Burning. Kay felt as if she were  _burning_  from embarrassment and pure sensation both. Alternating between bucking into and then away from his mouth, she writhed helplessly as his tongue moved around inside of her. He needed to  _stop…_  needed to  ** _continue_** _..._

"Mm…  _nn... **nnn**_ ** _...!_ "** muffled moans filled the air.

Kay's head fell back, banging harshly against the wall. While she winced, the small pain did  _nothing_  to distract from his roaming tongue. She turned her head, tucking her face against her arm, trying to muffle the needful cries escaping her throat. The leg trapped over his shoulder twitched, her foot moving to rest against his back in a subconscious effort to draw him closer.

Ah. How wonderful. Those first signs of submission were delectable things to witness. He pressed forward, tongue curling, probing along those slick inner walls. Would she scream for him when he found what he was seeking? He wondered if… ah,  _there_. There was a rough texture that felt promising and he pushed the tip of his tongue against it once, twice…  _thrice._

Nary a second later, a strangled, hitching cry of bliss filled the air. He had  _indeed_  found what he'd been searching so meticulously for. Kay's nails scraped roughly over the metal chains and she arched against him, the leg over his shoulder tightening further still. Her skin flushed brighter, body trembling in reaction to his ministrations. She abruptly bit into her arm in an effort to keep from falling over the edge. She knew that it would leave a bruise... and did not care one bit.

 _Such a **lovely**  siren's song,_ Kain thought.  _So_   _ **desperate** not to fall over the precipice of release..._

Pulling his tongue out, he bathed her slit with another slow, teasing pass. He shifted her about, keeping her legs held outwards to prevent any further kicking, and then lowered her form. Once her back was flat against the wall again, he stepped close so that the line of his body was almost,  _almost_ , pressed against her own and trailed his hands along that toned body. Talon-tips ghosted upwards over her sides, arms, wrists… and then away as he began to adjust the chains. The action forced her body higher up the wall and he stopped only when her face was level with his own. Kain smirked and leaned forward, flicking his tongue out soothingly over that slowly bleeding lip even as he ran his thumb along her arm, the movement forcing her to release the grip she had with her teeth lest she tear her own flesh out. The talon passed almost soothingly over the bite mark she'd left in her own skin.

Both wounds acted as a reminder. He would have to remain cognizant of just how fragile she actually was. If he intended to leave her  _alive_  and  _Human_  once he was done with her that is.

Kay let out a faint grunt of disappointment and relief both when he pulled back and lowered her down. A hiss escaped her when she was wrenched higher along the wall and, oh, how her shoulder  _burned_  at the movement. She swiftly adjusted her grip upon the chains to try and support her own weight a little better, but the movement didn't do much to help the ache, but with her feet dangling in the air and nothing to brace against, it was the best she could do. The flick of his tongue against her mouth made her pull back reflexively, making the forceful movement of his thumb moot. The rough touch over the rapidly bruising skin forced a small hiss past her lips.

"You done yet?" she managed to ask, a faint wheeze in her voice. "Overgrown…  _bat..."_

Her voice was a growling, panting thing even to her ears. Harsh and yet almost  _needy_  despite the weak insult thrown in his face. She winced and mentally braced herself in preparation for a blow.

 _That's right… just keep on pissing him off. You bloody_   ** _dunce_** , she thought, angry at herself and the painful lack of control of her temper.

"Not as of yet," he responded, clearly amused rather than offended by the insult. "You are a foolishly willful little thing, aren't you?"

He closed a hand around her left breast and squeezed the sensitive globe, though not hard enough to cut into her flesh with his talons. No, the grip was just firm enough to cause the beginnings of a bruise in the shape of his tri-taloned hand. There was only so much disrespect that he was willing to put up with. Best that the woman learn that  _now._

" _Eeea **agh**!_ " a high, choked cry of pain torn through the air.

The sudden-tight grip made her buck about in an unconscious effort to get free. Such pain following on the footsteps of his prior, wonderfully  _sensual,_  handling was enough to force tiny whimpers from her throat as she squirmed. Her efforts to free herself increased three-fold when the pain did not cease and she refused to ask or plead for him to  _stop_.

Continuing to hold her like that, on the edge of outright  _agony,_  was a simple enough task. A small flex of taloned fingers and a subtle shift of his hand to follow her writhing movements meant that her skin was not carved open as her struggles worsened. Only once he was truly satisfied by those delightful whimpers of pain did he finally relax his grasp. His roughened palm passed soothingly over the abused flesh of her breast nary a second later.

" _Tsaaa_ , there we are," he purred softly. His current expression would be impossible for anyone to read. "If you would only learn to curb that querulous little tongue of yours, then things would be so much simpler…"

… and quite  _dull_  to be honest. He  _preferred_  this. Preferred that fighting spirit.

Even with pain pulsing through her, muddying her thoughts, Kay knew that she was lucky,  _very_  lucky, that he'd decided to take care in how he was holding her. Otherwise she'd have ended up with a lot more than rapidly bruising skin. Barely containing yet another whimper, Kay went limp. Little sparks of near-agony lanced through her even as her tormentor gently caressed the rapidly bruising skin. Perspiration had started to bead on her brow and she shook her head dazedly when a droplet rolled into one eye. The small sting didn't exactly  _help_ matters either...

She looked up at him warily through sweat-dampened hair. Really, it was likely best to simply brace herself for more pain as his expression certainly wasn't anything to go by.

 _Such **suspicion**  in those dark eyes!_ He thought bemusedly.  _And rightly so._

Bending forward and down, he closed his mouth over the nipple of that same ill-treated breast. He started to suckle upon it, carefully teasing it back to a peak with proficient sweeps of his tongue and deliberate, light brushes of fang on flesh. The earlier pain would have forced the nerve endings to be so  _very_  susceptible to such tender touches.

 _The hell?!_  she thought with a frantic gasp.

Her back arched reflexively when his mouth closed cold-warm around breast. Kay bit into her lower lip to stifle the resultant cries that escaped her throat. It hurt… and yet it still felt  _good_.  _Damn_  him. Her teeth sank a little deeper into the small wounds in her lip. Pain stabbed through her thoughts and helped Kay center her thoughts. Helped to fight off the beginnings of pleasure yet... pain could be a brief thing. As fleeting andephemeral as pleasure itself could be _._  Especially when one was already swinging back and forth roughly along a pendulum of torment and bliss. She bucked again when his fangs brushed against sensitized skin and squirmed about wildly.

"Nnn _mmmph!_ " a bitten off groan escaped her lips as she writhed about.

Kain let out a low, rumbling growl at those sweet, captivating reactions. His eyes slid shut and he simply  _listened_  to the symphony she was producing for him as his mouth moved over her flesh. Every strained noise shot straight through to his groin and his length started to strain almost painfully so against the tight leathers that he wore. Rather than free himself, he reached down to curl his hands 'round the back of her thighs. Winging her legs wide, he shifted them up and around his waist as he continued to suckle and tease at her breast. They were now pressed  _almost_  groin to groin, barely an inch of space lay between them. Any of those inviting, abortive movements would now tease over his trapped and engorged flesh.

Trapped as she was between his body and the wall, she was entirely at his mercy. If she attempted to pull sway again, she would slit her own skin open upon the razor-sharp edges of his talons.

And Kay's first response was indeed to try to pull away from him. The light touch of cool leather touching her heated skin was unnerving. When she did do, she immediately went still at the sudden-sharp sensation of a  _cutting_  pain. Those sharp talon-tips had sliced shallowly into her skin when she had reacted so. This was... she could only move forward.  _Towards_  the larger male.  _Dammit_! She let out an explosive snarl and reluctantly ceased all efforts to pull free.

As much as she wanted to escape, to get away, she did not wish to be  _carved to ribbons_  in the process of fleeing.

Good. Now that the woman had finally calmed some, he could continue his examination at a more leisurely pace. He abandoned the one breast with a slow, lingering lick and then turned his attentions to the other. A low chuckle escaped him and he leaned forward to take the partially hardened nub into his mouth. A firm, suckling draw was applied nary a second later.

"Son of a  _bitch_ ," she said with a shuddering gasp.

When his mouth had pulled free and that roughened tongue flicked over the jutting peak, a tiny spark of need had spiked low in her belly. Kay shook her head angrily at the sensation.  _No_! She was  _not_  supposed to be  ** _enjoying_  **herself! This was not…  _she_  was not… They were…  _Shit!_  Trying to clear away the growing haze of desire with a shake of her head  _clearly_  hadn't worked. Kay took a deep breath and tried to slow her breathing instead. Tried to calm her now racing heart by applying meditation techniques.

Again his tongue flicked out.  _This_  time however, he called upon just the smallest amounts of lightning magic as he did so. Allowing the energy to dance upon the tip of his tongue, he passed it over that peaked flesh again and again. Laving the sweetest of attentions on it as Arcane Power sparked and crackled between them.

The magic he used was... unique. Arcana charged to a  _long-ago_  perfected frequency that would cause pleasure rather than pain.

"Dammit all! Simply be done wi-" a choked noise escaped her mid-word. A moment later she arched as if shot and  _screamed._

" _AAAH!_ "

Shock ran through her. Both literally  _and_  figuratively.

Now Kay was not an  _inexperienced_  individual. Nor had she remained in any way celibate after arriving on Haven. With that being said, not a  _single one_  of her lovers had used magic in the bedroom. Not like  _this_ at least. They'd not known any applicable spells to use in such a fashion as what Kain was currently doing. Nor had  _she_  learned to cast spells in such a way. She'd needed to focus on the  _practical_  side of spell-work in order to keep herself  ** _alive_.**

Holding herself still was becoming difficult. Nigh on impossible. She glared down at the top of his head even as she trembled with rage...

… and forcibly,  _stubbornly,_  suppressed need.

Kain smirked against her skin and looked up to meet that defiant gaze. Lips curling upwards against the soft flesh of her breast, he continued to suckle upon it. Each darling little cry sent another fission of hunger through him. Every jerk of her body rubbing groin against groin. He swept the tip of his tongue out over that peak again and again, sending magic tingling over her skin with every pass. Pausing, he let the magic build for a moment as he trailed fangs lightly over vulnerable flesh, before flicking the charged tip of his tongue over the nipple once more.

This pulse was charged to just that sweet edge of pain.

 _"Haaa…_  haa…  _ahhh_ ," Kay's breathing was becoming more and more frantic.

Screw  _difficult_ … her body was taunt as a bow-string as she fought to hold still and even then she was bucking involuntarily. Every sweeping pass of that tongue left her trembling on the edge of a knife. She wanted more.  _Hated_  that she wanted it and yet  ** _needed_**  it all the same. But she refused to beg.  _Refused_  to show the building desire any more than she already had. Even the near painful scrape of fang against flesh couldn't distract from the pulses of magic that seared, pulsed…  _teased._

When that last pass jolted through her, the mixed signal left her speechless.

"Nnn _nnggh_ ," she groaned low and deep.

It was, perhaps, taking more effort than it was worth to maintain that angry glower...

The strained reactions of her body and that angry yet hunger-tinged glare were luscious things. A satisfied rumble filled the air as Kain suckled harder upon her breast. He would wring every single scrap of that defiant temper out of his Mirror. He would  _make_  her scream for him. Make her  _beg_  for more. He pulled back with a satisfied growl of sound and a final pass of his tongue over her skin. Looking over her eager, flushed form as he straightened, his cock fairly  _throbbed_  with lust _._

 _Perhaps I shall take her now?_  Kain hummed softly to himself as he thought and he shook his head faintly in dismissal.  _Not just yet. Mine little Mirror can be taken higher still before the end._

Bucking slightly as the vibrations teased her skin, she almost pushed against him  _yet again_. Her body had all but openly betrayed her. Kay's head fell backwards to rest against the wall once more and she clenched her eyes shut. The sudden darkness… only made it  _worse._  Made the pleasure stand out further still. When he finally pulled away from her breast, a disappointed moan freely escaped her lips. She opened her eyes and blinked dazedly at the ceiling for a time. Thought crystallized and a cry of rage, tinged with desire, escaped her when she realized what she'd done.

Kain chuckled softly when she moaned so wantonly and then pressed himself hard along the line of her body in reward for such an  _enchanting_  sound. His leather-covered length now rubbing near-painfully against passion-heated flesh. Every writhing undulation would only grind her body that much harder against his own and his hands, still clasped around her thighs, would keep her from retreating.

She snarled at his amusement and was about to snap at him. An insult. A simple expletive.  _Anything._  Words failed her and instead, a strained,  _near_ -squeak filled the air when he shoved his crotch hard against her own. The feel of him against her so left her breathless. Eyes widening, she moved back, barely an inch of movement, and abruptly stilled. Dread filled her and she could feel herself going pale. Trapped. She was  _trapped_. No way forward unless she wanted to… to  _pleasure_  him. No way back unless she wanted to cut herself open on razor-sharp digits. Fear lanced through her and settled over her thoughts like a fog.

Lips curling back up in a fanged grin, Kain let out a low, deep bark of laughter at her reactions. Her dread-filled expression was delightful. Her scent alluring. Even though she was trying so  _very_  hard to avoid moving, the soft tremors of her body against his own were distinct. Unmistakable. Talon-tips abruptly curled  _into_  the skin of her thighs. Just enough to force her forward in order to avoid the cutting bite. And then again. And then yet  _again_.

"The he- _Ow_!  ** _Fuck!"_**  she yelped and jerked roughly against him.

Once more she flushed bright red with embarrassment and anger as she was forced to grind herself against him to avoid those sharp points. Kay snarled. More at herself than at Kain. What the  _hell_  had she gotten herself into by being such a goddamned,  _smart-assed_   ** _bitch_?**  ' _Go fuck yourself_ '? As if he wouldn't take that insult as blanket permission! As if she could  _handle_  whatever the hell he might think to dish out. Being forced against him wasn't helping that growing sense of panicked dread either.

He was huge and felt far too big, too  _thick,_  to be considered normal! (Outside of anything other than a porn flick that is!)

The jerking movements of her hips were quite enthralling. Every subtle move of his talons made her twist so winsomely against him. Those soft, wet folds left a noticeable trail over the leather that covered his groin as she moved for him. Writhed for him. Kain shifted his grip to allow her a moment of respite from the pain and leaned in close. Passing his tongue over her collarbone and along the line of her shoulder, he indulged in the taste of her skin. The beads of fear- and lust-tinged sweat that trailed along her skin were bitter-sweet.  _Succulent._

A low rumble filled the air and he started to trail pleasurable magic once more as he continued to taste her skin. His focus was razor sharp as he worked to coax more of those rich, honeyed little sounds out of her.

Kay twitched when he started to lick at her heated flesh. Unable to do anything other than writhe minutely at the sensual touches, she trembled… and then went limp as her thoughts started to unravel once more. Barely managing to contain another groan of pleasure at the continued applications of magic against her skin, her head fell to rest against her arm. The left side her neck was left bared to him as her body bucked against his own. It was not  _really_  a submission on her part. Not  _consciously,_  at least. No, this was clearly a subconscious request for his oddly gentle attentions to move higher. To focus on more sensitive areas.

A purr escaped him at that and he decided to indulge that silent request for more. A rapidly cooling line of saliva was left along the line of her throat and he blew along the line to further chill the overheated skin. Sharp fangs gently scraped over the soft flesh just beneath the ear. One of the areas he'd taken note of earlier. His tongue flicked out over the faint scratch marks left behind nary a second later, soothing the abused skin.

He'd been kind enough not to draw blood with that grazing touch and wondered if she'd even notice.

A small, almost breathy gasp escaped Kay's lips when his tongue flicked out over the sensitive skin of her neck and her body twitched with abortive thrusts against his larger form. The light, magically-enhanced sweeps of his tongue were fogging up her thoughts quite thoroughly. Even the small, glancing touch of his fangs were pleasant rather than painful. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head as she tried to fight once more against the desire pooling low in her core.

It was a loosing battle.

 _Why... **why** does he have to make it feel so good...?_ she thought with a low groan.  _He... doesn't **have**  to... so  **why**?_

Kain hungrily watched her form as she twitched with barely restrained desire. The magical current searing through her small frame with each sweep of his tongue over that pale-flushed skin would drive carnal needs to unimaginable heights for a human. Her expressions and those soft cries spilling from her lips were dulcet sounds. Divine.

 _Good_ , he thought to himself with a dark smile, curved lips now teasing over the soft shell of her ear.  _That she is obviously not used to such pleasures will make the process of breaking her to my hand that much easier._

"Haaaaaa…. _ahhh_ ," another throttled groan escaped her.

The tingling of magic against her ear was almost,  _almost_ , enough to cause an itch. Head shifting back and forth in little jerks, Kay found that she couldn't quite decide if she wanted him to stop or continue his sensual assault. Eventually, the itching sensation won out. She jerked her head forward and to the side, pushing that side of her head against her arm to try and block his access to the sensitive area. If her hands had been free, she'd have tried to shove him away. As it was, she was left trying to rub the itch away with her arm, an effort that didn't quite work.

Kain pulled back with a bemused, and slightly annoyed, huff of breath at her movements.  _Still_? After a moment it became clear that she was not trying to fend him off and his ire faded somewhat. Not an insult then. Yet her actions had been a unconscious bit of impertinence all the same. A small punishment would be needed to remind her just who was in charge. He slid one hand upwards and over the curve of her ass to cup her rear-end. Talon-tips scratched lightly, teasing against her skin but did not cut. For all the lean muscle on her, she had soft curves and good breeding hips that would have likely made her a prized blood-breeder in his Empire. Were it not for her temperament that is. He gave that rounded, plump little rear a firm, hard squeeze.

The grip was tight enough to raise yet another possessive bruise.

Kay bit back a cry of pain at the tight grip, eyes flying wide and the itch was forgotten in an instant.  _Fucker!_ That _**hurt!**_  She twisted about as much as she was able to in an attempt to escape the painful hold, but even those small movements opened new cuts in her thigh. Yet her struggles did nothing more than push her against the sharp talons of the hand holding her or ground her body harder against Kain's.

Ah, that pained expression was exquisite. Kain leaned in close to her neck, taking in a slow, deep breath and he shivered in anticipation. Her blood-scent, too, was an intoxicating aroma. Sweet like honey and laced with startled pain. Shifting his hips to meet her every move, a growling moan of pleasure escaped him. How much better would it be? To be  _buried deep_  inside his Little Mirror's heat? A little more, just a while longer and… He released his grip on her ass and moved his hand higher still along her back.

Relaxing only once his hand had moved away from her ass, Kay went partially limp and panted wildly for breath. She had to forcibly contain the continued whimpers that threatened to escape her lips. Bloody hell, but that had  _not_  been a pleasant experience. That he was transitioning back and forth between pleasure and pain almost too fast for her to register wasn't  _entirely_  a surprise though given who he was. One moment she was on the edge of needing release,  _needing_  to fall over in a haze of pleasure and the next she was wrenched ruthlessly back over said edge and onto pain-jagged ground.

The tips of his talons came to a halt right at the base of her back, just above the cleft of her ass. Kain tilted his head and watched the woman's face as the lust cleared from her expression. Once more he started tracing idle seeming patterns over her skin.

She froze, all thought derailing. Fear lanced through her when his hand moved upwards, only to stop at the base of her back. Why? She eyed him warily, struggling to hide behind her previous rage even though she had started to shiver beneath that sharp-tipped, provocative touch.

 _What is he going to do **now?**_  she thought worriedly.

Kain waited for several long moments, relishing the growing apprehension, the building tension. The woman's body thrummed like the plucked strings of a lute. Only when the fear and worry was writ clear as day in her eyes did he start to cut a sigil into her skin. Each cut was deep enough to nick at the muscle, but  _not_  enough to disable motor function. The sigil, once completed, would cause a constant, low-level current of magic to pulse throughout her entire body whenever he touched it directly. Said current would sensitize every single nerve ending in her body, heightening reactions to both pleasure and pain.

Kay stiffened and barely managed to stifle a tiny, high sound of agony when he started to  _cut her_.  _Shii_ ** _iiit!_**  She did not immediately notice that he was  _literally_  cutting a magical sigil into her skin, only taking note of the lines of pain that lanced through her with each meticulous slice. Eyes clenching shut and she struggled just to breathe past the pain as she tried to arch away from that cutting point. It didn't matter if that meant pushing  _against_  the taller male's form. Didn't matter if he was getting off on her movements. She just wanted the pain to  _stop!_

As soon as she arched against him, Kain wrapped an arm tight around her waist. Stronger than a band of steel, that grip kept her still and prevented her movements from marring the design that he was working on. Lips brushing against her ear in an almost soothing kiss, he let out a low, nigh on  _soothing_  rumble of sound as he spoke.

" _Tsaaa_ ," he murmured against that sweet-flushed skin, "you are doing so  _very_  well. Just a moment more, mine Little Mirror. Steady now. Steady..."

As much as it galled her,  _enraged_  her, his tone and that deep rumble were a near perfect balance of both command and comfort. He knew what he was doing, that much was obvious. Kay almost relaxed,  _almost_  gave in to the soothing lull of his voice, when she realized that there was a clear pattern being drawn into her skin. He was  _marking_  her. Marking the  _base of her back_. Shock and outrage filled her at the, perhaps unknowing, insult that he was paying her. Her eyes flew wide and she snarled viciously.

You see… being a prostitute was a fully legal, and carefully monitored, profession back on her Gaia. Had been for centuries. Prostitutes of either sex wore magically charged tattoos located right at the base of the spine. Said marks helped to confirm that a prostitute was both clean of disease  _and_  helped to prevent any unwanted pregnancies. Due to the nature of the mark's placement in order for it to function properly as a preventative and health safety measure, as well as the  _cultural_  significance behind it, only prostitutes ever got tattoos at the base of their back.

To have a 'Tramp Stamp' forced upon a person… well, that had  _quite_  a different connotation to someone from her world as opposed to someone from say Dante's, Wesker's, Remus', Seras' or even  _Rip's_  versions of Earth/Gaia.

Unaware of the turmoil racing through the woman's mind, Kain continued to carve the sigil, knowing without looking where each line, each curve, each jagged seeming edge, needed to go. The blood drawn by his actions would in no way interfere with the symbol either. Once finished, he laid the rough palm of his hand over the mark to send the sigil's magic coursing through her body. Releasing his restrictive hold, he then shifted his other hand back down along the side of her body, leaving a fresh trail of scratch marks behind. His eyes narrowed hungrily on her form, eager to take in her responses.

"You god-damned,  _cock_ -sucking son of  ** _a-nnNH!"_**  she'd finally managed to find her voice only to have her enraged rant cut off mid-insult.

The sudden nerve jolting pulse of magic that flowed through Kay's body startled her badly. Every single cut and bruise abruptly stood out in sharp relief to her mind. When his talons nicked and scratched at her skin, it felt as if he were still carving marks into her body. The pain-filled shock successfully rendered her mute for the briefest of moments before the outrage returned and helped her rally past it. She let out a howling roar of rage and denial both.

Chuckling at that fierce little roar, Kain pulled his other hand back and stepped back just far enough so he could reach between their bodies. Turning his hand, he extended the back of one talon outwards to brush against the delicate, and now magically sensitized, folds of her body. That light touch was followed by a charged burst of pleasure-inducing electricity. She'd reacted perfectly to the pain, now to see how she reacted to the other end of the spectrum.

"How  _dare_  you mark me in such a mann…" her voice broke and she arched backwards, a strained scream forced past her lips. "Kyaaa _AAA **AHHH**!_ "

Her eyes flew wide as the soft touch against the folds of her moistened slit sent pleasurable magic  _tearing_  through her mind and body. She bucked against him violently and another high wail of sound escaped her. Kay's hands clenched tight about the chains holding her bound in placed and she struggled violently in an effort to pull away from that too-good touch. It was  _too_   _much_  sensation.

Kain's brow arched at the odd outburst, focused so acutely around the mark that he had left etched into her skin. He shrugged and then paid it no further mind. Instead, his attention focused on the way her face twisted so charmingly with strain. Focused on matching her movements so that only the  _back_  of his talon stayed pressed against her dampening folds. Watched her with hungry eyes as she struggled futilely against his magic. Ah, but she  _writhed_  so beautifully. Kain let out a deep, lust-filled growl after a few moments. More. He wanted, demanded,  _would have_ , more.

Choked noises escaped her lips against her will. It was too much… far too much. And yet... somehow  _too little._  Everything was sharp-edged and loud in her mind. Her pulse thundering in her ears. His hands on her body. It was taking everything she had not to give in. To give up. Everything she had not to… not to  _beg_  of all things. She needed… She  _wanted_ … So… so close. Mor- no… nono _nono **no**_! She shook her head violently back and forth.

He shifted his talon a so that the very tip came to rest feather-light against her clit. He smiled darkly as he met that increasingly frantic gaze. When the anger melted away to be replaced by desperation and  _need,_  he laughed and flashed a fanged, predatory grin at her.

 _Now_  she was ready.

He heightened the frequency of the magic enough that it would finally force her over that edge into the blissful abyss that was  _release._

Kay tried desperately to hold onto her anger at his laughter…

…and  _failed_.

"N-n _AAAHHHHH_!" Kay arched backwards with a shrill scream and writhed.

The shock of the violent orgasm tore through her and her mind almost went blank. Gods… so  _good_. It felt  _so damned_   _good… **n** **o** **!**_  Clawing against the pleasure, nails scratching and breaking on the metal chain links, she let out a wailing, defiant roar in the face of that mind-numbing bliss. Her teeth clamped down and dug into her lower lip as she tried to silence herself. Tried to combat the searing,  _unending,_  pleasure with pain. Fresh rivulets of blood trailed down her chin and several frantic, helpless mewls escape her mouth despite her efforts.

Pain wasn't helping…

Kay abruptly lost her grip on the chains and her body fell, still jerking and twisting about wildly from the overload of sensation.

He shifted his grip swiftly, breaking the current against her clit and her back in order to catch the woman's tiny frame in his hands. It would do no good if the more sensitive parts of her body were damaged by his talons during her fall. She would not heal easily from such injuries and worse still, it might set back her training. Kain held her carefully as she shuddered and bucked about reflexively. That she writhed so splendidly from his magic  _alone_... he growled in darksome pleasure and the low thrum echoed through the air.

Kay's eyelids fluttered weakly and she panted frantically for breath. Relief filled her. The magical current against her clit was  _gone_. She could think again.  _Barely._  If she had a mind to be honest with herself? Not at all. Oh no. The buzz of release lingered powerfully in her mind, her body… her very  _bones_  far longer than usual. Even having fought against it with all that she had… all that she was…

 _No one_  had made her come like that before. The intensity of it had been  _all but_   _mind-breaking_.

Kain shifted to balance her lighter weight in one hand and swiftly undid the ties to his dragon-hide leathers with the other. He pulled aside the front placket in order to free his erect flesh and then paused. Flicking his tongue hungrily over his fangs, he eyed the still twitching form consideringly. The long, lean lines of her legs, the smooth-firm planes of her stomach, the pert breasts. The woman was pleasing to the eye. And yet...

She was such a  _tiny_  thing despite the showing of skill, vigor and foolish bravado...

In the time that it took him to free himself, Kay was able to grab hold of the now thoroughly frayed reins of her anger. Her cheeks were flushed with fear, upset, embarrassment...  _and_  the lingering pleasure from the volatile orgasm. Glancing down proved to be her undoing and she looked away swiftly. All of that anger was gone in an instant to be replaced by fear. By  _dread_. Her thoughts started to race wildly. The length... well, that might be manageable. No, the reason behind her sudden unease was the male's sheer  _girth._  He  _was_ too damned thick, just as she'd thought! If he decided to simply  _ram_  it in…

Suffice to say, Kay would not have been surprised if he _tore her in two_  in the process.

Tasting her fear on the air, Kain summoned a vial of oil to hand. He snapped off the top with a practiced movement and then slicked his considerable length liberally with said fluid. Rather then do as she feared, her worries writ clear in the charming way that she clenched her teeth and the rapid beating of her heart, he moved his slickened hand to her slit instead. He rubbed the knuckle of one talon gently along the wet folds in a gentle, teasing touch before  _nudging_  said knuckle against the tight opening of her body.

Applying a gentle pressure, he started to work her open. Pushing for a moment, before pulling away to gather up more oil and then repeating the slow process of readying her for his length. Truly, he was showing his little Mirror  _far_  more consideration than he might have shown others in prepping and stretching that tight entrance the way he was; with an expert's careful and knowing touch. Eventually though, her body would give way to the thick digit and he would be able to lay his claim upon her body.

Kay tried to pull away from that probing, stretching touch along her slit, shivering as she squirmed about. She snarled weakly, trying to hide her bodies already slickened state from him… but it was no use. There was  _literally_  nowhere for her to go. Not bound as she was. A hitched gasp escaped her lips as her body slowly started to make room for that thick knuckle. The stretching, breaching pressure behind his movements was… manageable.  _Barely._

 _"Nnngh..._  oh… oh  _fuck_ ," she cursed softly, wincing at the strain.

A deeper, strangled groan escaped her when his knuckle abruptly sank deeper still into that tight hole. It  _hurt_  yes, but it was the kind of hurt that felt  ** _good_**  at the same time.

Kain continued to stretch her opening, enjoying the throttled little noises that she made. The way she tried to quiet herself all to no avail was captivating. He chuckled darkly. Such an endearing creature. Stopping only once he felt her entrance was prepped well enough to take him without causing immediate damage, he took the time to nuzzle his nose against her throat. Her racing heart was a temptation all by itself, but he reined in the urge to bite. Instead, he nudged her chin up with his nose. A silent demand for her to look up. To look at  _him._  A demand that she'd do well to  _heed_ if she had any sense in her pretty little head.

A demand that was  _almost_  ignored in truth. Even with her thoughts muddied as they were, she didn't want to just  _give in_. Like him, she usually fought back, tooth and nail until she'd won or been knocked out by her foes. And yet, as a female, she had learned how to be patient far earlier in life than her male counterpart. Human females, even in her own 'advanced' society, tended to have to work hard to both earn and  _maintain_  the respect of their peers. To learn to endure hateful glances and taunts that were in no way true. As such, she contained that initial, foolishly impulsive, desire to bite at that nudging nose and raised her head warily to meet his golden-eyed gaze.

Ah, but that defiant look was delightful!

Amusing too… he'd actually thought to  _release_  her. To move her to the bed and take her  _there_  instead of against the wall. But her eyes revealed that she yet had some fight left in her. She'd likely attempt to fight or bolt if released from her current bindings. Best to leave the manacles where they were. Chuckling, Kain pulled his hand away from her slit and slowly raised his talon to his lips instead as if that had been his plan all along. He locked his gaze upon her own with a smirk as he did so. Another dark thrum of noise, low enough to be  _felt_  rather than  ** _heard,_**  filled the air. He waited until he had her full attention and then slowly,  _lewdly_ , lapped at the mix of oil and her own slickness that now coated his knuckle.

Shuddering at the unheard sound, the feel of it all but caressing her skin, she shook her head. Her eyes widened and she swallowed roughly at the sight of him  _licking_  his talon clean. Licking her own suddenly dry lips, her thoughts continued to race wildly. She could admit, at least to  _herself,_  that such actions were lust-inducing. Enticing in a way that made her clench, made her feel  _almost_  eager for what was coming next.  _Knowing_  what was to come still left her feeling cornered. Yet... it couldn't be helped now. No matter what he might say or do, she was  _afraid_  of the thought of coupling with him as she was. Glancing down, then back up and away swiftly, she shook her head in mute denial and tried to arch away from him once more.

Still chuckling, as her apprehension was such an obvious and charming thing, he reached down grabbed her legs, his hands curving carefully under the bend of each knee. The woman would not be able to escape the firm hold. False words of comfort or assurance were not uttered. Why bother? She would not believe such words even if he spoke them. He winged her legs open and then aligned the head of his hardened shaft with that sweet-slick entrance and watched, waiting for her face, her expression to twist and change. He was waiting for that luscious,  _exquisitely **perfect**_  moment of realization of the fact that penetration was inescapable.

Her eyes widened when he grabbed onto her legs. She writhed and twisted about in his grasp, but struggling proved to be just as ineffective as her earlier efforts. Her legs were trapped. A strained sound escaped Kay's lips as her legs were then spread wide. She tensed fearfully in expectation and then relaxed minutely. At least he hadn't simply  _rammed_  it in as she had feared. She moaned as the thick head of his cock pressed hard against her entrance. Her breathing quickened and terror pulsed through her despite the pleasantly light touch. What was he wait-... no. Dammit. She  _knew_  what he was doing now. What he expected. Hissing in rage and grabbing at the chains once more, fingers clawing wildly at the metal, Kay attempted to lift herself up and away from that hard shaft.

There.  _There_  it was. The potent fear. The impotent rage. Yes… oh,  _yes_. Even with her writhing about, she would be unable to escaped his hold. Unable to knock him out of alignment. He grinned, a fanged and vicious flash of teeth, and started to sink slowly into the tight sheath that was her body. There was no pause, no  _hesitation,_  as he breached that opening. A appreciative, hissing sound escaped him as sweet-slick  _warmth_  enveloped the head of his cock.

A loud, wordless cry of denial escaped her lips, but again it was no use. Another, higher pitched, cry of  _almost_ -pain escaped her a second later as the thick head started to push inside. Too big! Trying to bear down, to push him  _out,_  didn't help and only made her spasm around him that much more violently. Head and shoulders slamming against the wall, she howled and  _howled,_  overwhelmed by the sheer girth of the massive cock-head pushing into her.  _Spearing_  her. It was as if she was being run through in truth. Her slit stretching wider and wider still for that hard and unyielding flesh and… and…

And all she could do was  _scream..._

 _Ah, **perfection,**_  Kain thought with a pleased groan.

The elegant arch of her throat as she was slowly impaled upon his cock. The way her fingers scrambled against the thick links of the chains that held her bound. Even the way her body convulsed and squeezed his flesh in an instinctive effort to  _expel_  him. And then there were those high, pure cries filling the air...  _Magnificent._  Kain let out a throaty growl. The tight clench around his shaft would have been painful were he not a vampire. For him though? It merely ratcheted his need to greater heights. Rather than pull back and give her time to adjust, he pushed deeper. Another throttled sound filled the air as he abruptly stilled. Three thick inches were now buried in that wet hole.

He was kind,  _merciful_  even, to give her a few breathless moments to adjust rather than fill her completely.

A strangled, grunting little squeak of noise escaped her throat when he pushed deeper. Such an  _embarrassing_  sound! Blushing brightly, she turned her head away and refused to look at him. Refused to  _look,_  to  _watch_  as he impaled her on that shaft. Yet, even unseen, the truth was unavoidable. Fuck… she felt like… he was...  _dammit all._  Too  _much._  Too  ** _full_.**  When he stopped moving her body  _finally_  had the time that it needed to adjust, at least in part, to that invading girth. She tried to move, to shift about and ease the ache, but that only made inner muscles clench  _down_  reflexively. The result? She ended up bucking in his hands before she could stop herself and for a few seconds all that mattered was that mixture of pain and pleasure searing through her. It was a struggle to not simply writhe about like some crazed  _thing._

"Haaaaaa...  _sss…"_  she hissed through clenched teeth and eventually managed to still herself.

Oh, but the sweet clasp around him was  _divine._  His hands tightened briefly around her legs before he forcibly relaxed his grip. Slow…  _careful._  If he wanted to enjoy this fully, then he would need to be patient. True, he  _could_  simply Turn her and enjoy her form more thoroughly after the fact, but then he would have to  _wait_  for his pleasure to be actualized. Kain was a patient man, but he was not of a mind to be  _that_  patient. Not right now. Not with her body wrapped tight and  _wet_  and  ** _warm_**  around him. He let out a growling breath and shifted the palm of one hand down along her outer thigh. His hand passed over the curve of her ass without halting and then slid it back up so that it came to rest on the sigil. The light contact renewed the magic current from earlier.

A throttled, hitching groan escaped her. When the pain of her injuries flared back up, she almost whimpered and yet… that was a minor concern when compared to the now  _insanely intense_  pain-filled pleasure of being stretched open so very wide upon that thick cock. Sensation flooded her thoughts, chasing them away under the rough tides of 'Too much!', 'Feels  _good', 'Too full!',_  'So deep!  _Yes!'_  and  ** _'Fuuuuck!_** _'._  Gasping frantically for breath, her eyes fluttered closed as it all became overwhelming. Not quite narcotic but  _definitely_  something that could be addicting in the long term. Kay started to buck about wildly in his grasp, all restraint gone as her body subconsciously struggled to both  _pull away_  and also  _ride_  that invading shaft.

Kain growled low in appreciation. Her wild actions were driving his length in and out of her body without him having to so much as move an  _inch_. The sweet friction and clasping heat was wondrous. Enough to have earned herself a small reward. He leaned in to lave his tongue over that bared throat in gentle, seductive passes. Mouthing her neck slowly, his let his fangs graze against the soft and luscious skin. The teasing,  _dangerous,_  promise of a bite. He started to suckle at her neck in earnest, enough to leave a clear mark in that pink-flushed skin, and shifted the hand upon her leg to rub his thumb along her inner thigh. A soothing, massaging pressure designed to help her relax further still. To enable her to take  _more._  The rapid, frantic little pulse beneath his tongue was enticing, but he did not bite down.  _Yet._

Though the suckling pleasure of her Mirror's mouth upon her throat and his hand upon her thigh scorched through her with an intensity that threatened to leave her nothing more than a mindless puddle of  _need_... the scrape of  _fang_  against her neck, harder than before, was a sharp-cold reminder that Kay had a  _deadly **predator**_  at her throat. Her thoughts snapped back into place, realigning with a crystal clarity that screamed  _'danger!'._  Crying out, she desperately fought off the haze that immediately threatened to drag her back under its sway. With her thoughts only somewhat less muddled, she twisted in his grasp and tried to bite at him.

Kain felt the sudden tension and swiftly pulled back out of range of human-weak teeth before she had a chance to lunge at him. He let out a thrumming growl, feeling thoroughly amused. Even now with his length buried in her, she  _still_  tried to fight back. Leaving her bound had indeed been the prudent choice. He chuckled darkly at the continued defiance in the face of the inevitable and let go of her other leg. Kain's hand closed swiftly around her jaw, the movement far too fast for a human to follow. Her full weight would now be supported only by the manacles that were closed around her wrists… and his own  _cock_  buried inside her wet hole. He leaned in and took in a slow, deep breath of that delicious scent. It still carried hints of remembered fear. Of fresh pain.  _Frustration._  And the distinctive scent of wild, animalistic,  _carnal_  hunger. Something that he would _not_  allow her to deny.

"Your scent reveals the truth of you mine Mirror," he purred softly.

Cursing when her teeth closed around naught but air, she made to try again only to be restrained before she could so much as blink. A gasp escaped her when  _gravity_  caught up with  _deed_  and forced another inch inside of her. Fuck! He was…  _how?_  He'd been holding her limb trapped. No…. No, he'd let go of her leg to grab her jaw and… With the realization that both of her legs were now  _free,_  Kay  _moved._  She tried to brace her feet, to use his own hips as leverage to push up and away from that impaling length but…  _damn!_  She was stuck between him and the damned  _wall._  There wasn't enough room. She... there had to be  _something_  that she could do! Kay simply couldn't focus properly, no matter how hard she tried... and... and...

"W-what t-the hell… are you talking about…?" she managed to gasp out between frantic, growling pants for breath.

He forced her head up and to the side so that he could lick along the line of her throat all the way up to her ear. Kain's lips brushed against the soft shell in an almost gentle kiss. Completely ignoring the feet on his hips, a firm thrust of his hips seated his shaft even deeper into that wet, clasping heat. The ridges on his length caught roughly along slick inner walls and it twitched when her body clenched so tight around him in an automatic reflex. He rumbled in darksome satisfaction and his lips curled up in a smile against her ear as he pushed deeper still.

"Do you not  _see_  it mine Mirror?" he whispered to her. His tone was a wicked thing indeed as his lips feathered over her ear in another light kiss. "Your body is so very eager to be nothing more than a  _sheath_  for my cock."

"I... Damn… you…! Nggaa _ARGHH!_ " she howled her denial of that perverse statement.

Her eyes clenched shut and she screamed in outrage. What with her body being unaccustomed to such massive girth, she couldn't  _help_  but clench around him. It didn't help that the odd ridges along that shaft sent pleasure jolting through her as they rubbed over all-too-sensitive internal muscle. Howling helplessly as he sank deeper still, Kay started to panic. She writhed violently in an attempt to pull away, to pull  _up_  and  ** _off_**  of that massive cock. Sadly, she was unable to find the room to escape even now.

Kain released her jaw and reached down to close his hand around her hip instead. He held her carefully as she twisted and writhed about like a wild-cat, guiding her movements subtly. He had expected such an outburst in response to his words, knowing it that they would be a harsh blow indeed to her pride. But her struggles only made her body spasm  _that_  much more around him, heightening his own pleasure. Kain waited patiently for her strength to wane, eyes hooded with satisfaction as he watched her writhe for him.

Without magic, Kay couldn't restore her physical stamina and she was rapidly losing the energy needed to fight against his grasp. Her feet abruptly slipped off his leather-covered hips and she  _fell._  Barely choking back yet another scream, she froze, eyes flying wide in shock. The fall had forced that thick shaft deep indeed. While he was not yet buried to the hilt within her, he was too long for  _that,_  the head was now knocking quite firmly against her cervix. Eyes rolling back, lids closing and head falling to bang against the wall, she groaned at the sensation and her bucking struggles lessened. Oh...  _oh,_  but that kind of pressure  _almost_  always undid her.

A satisfied snarl escaped him as her own movements forced him to bottom out within her. He sank fangs into the soft flesh of her neck, avoiding the main artery, and fed. It was merely a slow and suckling draw upon her life-force. Nothing more. Kain dropped his hand between them and gently pushed one knuckle against her clit when her exertions dwindled down to naught but weakened little twists of that lithe body. As she was now, weakened and drained, her struggles would no longer result in risking  _unintended_  injury. With his other hand still pressed against the sigil upon her back, he sent another pulse of meticulously calculated energy into that sensitive node of flesh in order to force her over the edge once more.

With her strength waning, she barely managed to bite back a whimper when his fangs sank into her neck. The pain was negligible when compared to everything else. She didn't notice when his hand moved away from her hip and as such, her eyes flew wide once more as that magical current  _seared_  through her clit. Like before, it didn't hurt. It  _should_  have hurt. Instead… oh... it felt  _so_   ** _good._**  Her legs lifted almost of their own accord, locking  _tight_  around his waist in response to that wonderful,  _mind-rending_  pleasure. Bucking about as she came, her wild movements actually forced another thick inch of his massive cock into her already badly stretched hole, her body making way and accommodating the impalement as much as it possibly could. She squirmed in his grasp and howled, body  _convulsing, **spasming**_  uncontrollably around the broad shaft.

"Hnnnnnn," Kain's eyes slid shut and he groaned around a mouthful of blood as she practically  _seized_  about him.

Superb. She was doing so  _very_  well by taking him so deep. In reward, he held the magic in place and immediately forced her over the edge of orgasm for yet a  _third_  time. The sweet convulsions around him needed to continue,  _that_  was certain. This time, rather than let the magic fade, he ruthlessly held her over that edge. Mercilessly forcing the orgasm to last for several  _minutes_  instead of just a few  _seconds._  He wished to relish and indulge in those sweet, winsome reactions of hers.

Her mind trembled and  _strained_  beneath the magic as it held her on the highest peak of pleasure. Again she howled, tears pricking at her eyes, and this time the noise ended in a low-pitched  _whine._

It was...

It was too much... far, _far_  too much for her mind to handle.

The slow loss of blood was weakening her further still and it all began to hurt. Out and out  _hurt._  There was only so much that a human mind could handle after all, even when it came to pleasure. As such, the force of that magically-induced orgasm sundered all capability of thought. Of reason. Of  _will._  The next sound out of her was a high-pitched,  _broken_  shriek of pained-pleasure that abruptly cut off as her voice gave out. Tiny, choked little whimpers continued to escape her when the magic  _still_  did not dissipate and her eyes fluttered weakly.

 _No more. **No more**!_  she thought weakly,  _knowing_  that she was perilously close to passing out entirely.

"Ahh... divine...  _shhh_  now.  _Good_  girl," Kain murmured softly as he had pulled his fangs free.

He looked down and a dark chuckle escaped him as he took in the sight of her legs wrapped so tight around his waist. The convulsions of her body around his cock were sublime.  _Ambrosial._  He rocked in and out of that clenching, tremoring little hole as she came around him so explosively. Only when her eyes started fluttering with the tell-tale signs of unconsciousness did he actually stop sending the current through her form.

"Tsaa, easy now," he purred bemusedly, knuckle rubbing feather-light over her clit. "Stay with me now mine Mirror. I am not done with you  _just_  yet."

Kay slumped when the magical current finally  _stopped._  Her legs went limp, now only loosely wrapped around his waist rather than the desperate, frantic hold that she'd had before. She started to shudder violently as she came down from the orgasmic high. Panting, wheezing really as her breathing was a strained thing indeed, she could only hang there and tremble. After the force and duration of the pleasure that she had just been made to endure, well… she would have quite welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness just then. That old phrase 'too much of a good thing' existed for a  _reason_  after all.

Now there were words…  _sounds..._  and his voice meant nothing but 'more to come' to her mind just then. She whimpered and tried to pull back with a weak shake of her head, a few stress-tears falling from her eyes to trail down her flushed cheeks.

No more! Kay knew that she couldn't,  _wouldn't,_  be able to handle any more just then.

He shifted his hand away from that shock swollen nub and he rubbed soothingly at her inner thigh as she whimpered so helplessly for him. He leaned forward long enough to kiss and lick those salty tracks from her cheeks with a low purr. His own pleasure was mounting higher and higher still with each weak little twist of her form. Each bucking, writhing movement was  _bliss._  Kain let out a hiss of breath and leaned back, maintaining careful control of his forward movements lest he cause her irreparable damage. Even so, he continued to move without pause, in and out in firm, demanding thrusts. He was  _relishing_  the feeling of that slick heat enveloping his cock. Minutes later he reached out with mental magic and started to wrap his thoughts around her own. It would be as if he were covering her mind with a heavy blanket of fog.

"Nnnnn…  _nng **aah** ,"_ she gasped out, barely noticing the soft touches of lips and roughened tongue passing over her cheeks with how out of it she was.

Even though her throat felt raw from screaming, a pained moan still filled the air at those forceful thrusts of his hips. Quite dazed from the onslaught, she did not notice the heavy weight of his mind against her own. Her thoughts were blurred enough that the mental fog simply left her further disoriented. No defenses rose. No counter-attack. No. That slow, measured rocking of his cock in and out of her body only added yet another layer of befuddlement to her already shattered thought processes. She felt  _lost._  Adrift on the tides and… she thrashed weakly, another incoherent cry escaping her throat at the heavy-handed thrusts that just...  _wouldn't... **stop.**_

Divine… and moderately distracting. While it would be different doing what he planned to do to her human mind, it would be no more complicated a thing for him  _now_  after the millennia that he had seen than it was for her own heart to beat. It would simply take more time given the lack of mental pathways designed specifically for a vampires telepathic Gift, the Whisper. Still, he would enjoy himself in the process. And if she fought back? Made the process last longer by struggling? Well, all for the better really. That last thought shuddered through him and his next thrust was almost harsh.  _Almost_  punishingly cruel.

" _Nnmmh!_ " Kay's mouth opened wide in shock at the hard thrust.

That powerful move had sent those off-seeming ridges on his length gliding  _right_  over that sweet spot within her. Oh…  _gods_! She shuddered violently in response, inner walls rippling with a lesser, yet somehow  _no-less-intense_ , orgasm. Body bucking and hands yanked wildly at unyielding chain (her wrists were going to be badly bruised by the end), she let out a throttled groan. The sound echoing loudly throughout the large room. Her eyes fluttered shut, unconsciousness again eating at the edges of her thoughts even as her body practically tried to  _milk_  that thick length.

With that pert mouth opened up so very wide, Kain was suddenly struck by an idle thought and he chuckled as he slowed his pace to that of a more gentle glide that no longer jarred her body quite so badly. There was something he wanted to test and he could not do so if his own thrusts were jerking her body about. He reached up to clench her jaw in his hand once more and pinched down gently. The grip would keep her mouth forced open without his talons cutting into the delicate flesh of her cheeks. That is to say, she would not be cut as long as she did not  _struggle_  against said hold.

"Easy now mine Mirror," he ordered a darksome purr tingeing his voice. "Hold still for me. That's it."

Without further warning, he eased one thick talon into her mouth, sharp point angled carefully to avoid injury, and he nudged lightly at the back of her throat. Would she choke upon it like most of those untrained in such arts?

She opened her eyes to blink blearily at him, but did not fight when he forced her mouth open. In fact, she hardly registered the thick talon in her mouth at all. The only reaction he got when said talon nudged at the back of her throat was her swallowing in response. Nothing more. After a few moments, the tip of her tongue lightly flicked up against the sharp edge. Nothing more than an idle and reflexive probe when one had an object in their mouth for an extended period of time. Said tongue pulled away from the cutting edge nary a second later.

 ** _Ow_ ,** she thought with another blink.  _What…?_

"Now this  _is_  a pleasing surprise," he said and he smiled. Another cruel flash of fang and  _satisfaction._

Kain pushed his talon deeper still, testing and finding the seemingly outright lack of a gag reflex. He thrust his talon deeper still and held it there with the tip buried down her throat for several long seconds. Was he truly so lucky or was it merely the lassitude brought on by a multitude of orgasms that had made her throat so lax and pliant?

Other than the prior small movements of her tongue probing at the invading digit, she did not react. As the talon pushed  _further still_  into her mouth, it would be quite plain that she did not  _have_  a gag reflex. At all. Despite his intent probing, she did not cotton on to his thoughts.  _Couldn't_  really, as her mind had started to focus on something else entirely.

 _Hurts…_  she thought with a strained whimper.  _Oh, it **hurts** …!_

Her shoulders were trembling with the strain of having been bound for so long. A muffled sound of agony escaped her. The pain in her arms, her  _wounded_  shoulder, had begun to outweigh the lingering, and rapidly fading, pleasure brought about by orgasm. And that was  _despite_  the now gentle movements of his ridged cock inside of her slick, open body.

Kain purred low in satisfaction and pulled his talon free of her mouth. The woman truly had no gag reflex. Fortuitous indeed that, as such a thing usually had to be taught over a period of several months even for those who no longer  _needed_  to breathe. Months that he would not need to waste in training her in the best ways to accommodate him. Taking note of her expression, as well as those small noises of pain, he moved his hand away from the sigil at her back. He noticed the open trembling and let out a hum of breath. One hand reached up to cup her rear-end, lifting her up easily so that her weight was no longer straining her arms quite so intensely. He then rubbed at one shoulder and then the other gently. Soothing away the deeper aches with skilled sweeps of his palms. Once she'd had a suitable amount of time to recover from the strain, he reached up to unhook the chains from the wall. A second after that, his hand fell away from the rounded curves of her ass…

Those few moments were almost pure bliss to her addled mind. With the current from the sigil broken and that hand rubbing so sweetly over her shoulders, she almost  _wept openly_  in relief. As it was, tiny, hitching noises spilled from her lips at each pass of his palms over sore muscles. The darkness spotting her sight slowly faded, vision clearing up as seconds and then minutes passed... But that relief proved to be a fleeting thing. A cry escaped her lips when his hand no longer braced her body and the pressure upon her shoulders  _resumed,_  pain sparking along those abused muscles. Thrashing about weakly as the pleasure-pained strain of her own body weight forced him deep inside once more, she sobbed and shook her head. Blast it… no more... She was  _spent_  and needed to  _rest_  dammit!  _No more!_

Ignoring that unconscious, mental plea, he left her hanging there. Left her balanced upon his cock and held up only by the chains. Easing her down so that the line of her back was almost parallel with the floor, Kain started to thrust slowly from the hips. In and out, in and out of that wet, grasping, _constricting_  heat. The way her breasts bounced, one marked clearly with his hand-print, was an enchanting sight. Gravity and her own weight would force him in  _deep_  from this angle. Would stretch her open further still around him. Every single thrust would knock against her cervix and draw more of those sweetling cries from her throat.

A whimper escaped her lips as he resumed thrusting in and out of her. Her head fell back, long hair sweeping back and forth against the ground. The angle made things so  _very_ intense. The feel of those thick ridges catching along her inner walls made her shudder and sob. Her legs started to twitch and slowly tightened around his waist once more as he continued to move. Over time, her body started  _arching_  to meet his as need built within her once more, instinctual and pure. Even though she felt adrift, mentally unable to handle any more of his attentions and her body  _still_  lifted. Soon enough, it started to seem as if she were trying to  _demand_  more even as her head continued to shake back and forth weakly in negation. Every move was merely subconscious effort on her part at this point though. In fact, there was the the distinct possibility that those uncontrolled movements were now  _interfering_  with the rhythm he had set. Still, even out of it as she was, Kay was not the sort to simply 'lay back and think of one's country' if you will. She tended to be the type to ' _top from the bottom_ ', if anyone ever managed to ' _top_ ' her at all, even if it was subconscious.

And, admittedly, Kain  _had_  managed to do just that...

A rumbling growl escaped him at her willfulness. Given the mental link he had with her, he was well aware that her attempts at taking control of their little tumble were subconscious in nature. Many a fledgling had tried similar tactics, be it to obtain more blood or more pleasure.  _All_  had failed. Kain pushed her legs aside harshly with one hand, only remembering at the last second to turn his hand just so to avoid gouging her flesh open with his talons. A shudder ran through him from crown to the base of his spine. Control. She'd not survive the same brutally punishing pace that he might have used to correct a fledgling's presumptive hide. He paused briefly in consideration and then began to pound into her just a  _little_  bit harder with each surge forward. Testing. Judging her responses. The force behind his movements was likely more than she had ever had to endure. At least at a  _Human_  male's hands that is.

When his hand pushed at her legs, she let out a low groan and winced faintly at the brief pain. Rather than fight to hold onto him, she let her legs fall away. The movement left her body open to every hard plunge of that thick cock. Piercing and sharp.  _Claiming._  It hurt, true, but it was… it was that  _good_  kind of hurt. An aching pleasure that usually meant she'd be walking funny for a day or two, if she forgot to down a healing potion afterwards, but  _oh fuck_  was it worth it. Given that Haven had several half-Human and non-Human males running about, she had gotten used to somewhat rougher 'playtime's' with the males that she'd taken to bed. She simply wasn't used to someone of Kain's  _girth_  and it showed. It showed in the strained, almost pained expression on her face, in the clench of her teeth and the line of her jaw. Despite that pained, stretching ache, her body bucked again in silent demand for  _more._

"Oh, but you  _are_  an eager creature, aren't you?" he purred in a low voice, pleased by her reactions and those wildly racing thoughts.

His free hand closed about her hip and, after pausing for another moment to examine the memories regarding lovers she'd taken to bed in the past, he slammed forward harder and then harder  _still._  Each thrust practically became a declaration of ownership, a silent demand for her complete and utter submission. Every cry he forced from her throat was a sign of capitulation, the purest form of abandonment. She might not yet acknowledge it, not  _knowingly,_  but he owned her now. Had since the moment she'd explained that he was to Turn her to gain the offered boon of souls. By the end, she would acknowledge that fact by begging  _openly_  for him.

A louder, strangled moan escaped her when his next thrust hit the deepest part of her harder than she expected. The blow against her cervix was painful-sweet. And then he started thrusting  _harder._  Kay's eyes flew wide and yet remained un-seeing, blinded by sensation. Oh… oh _by the Balance Eternal_  but that was…  ** _perfection!_**  Normally she had to  _command_  her lovers to take her so hard, always to them voicing sweet-worried- _annoying_  concerns. Always with the 'are you sure?'s and the 'was that too rough?'s that usually ruined her good mood and destroyed  _any_  inclination to keep them longer than a few tumbles into bed. This…  _this_... Back arching, her fingers tangled white-knuckled in the links of chains holding her bound and she all but wailed as the next thrust sent her reeling over the edge for a fourth…  _fifth?..._  time. She panted frantically and stared blindly at the wall, trembling and shaking with her ankles loosely hooked around the back of his knees.

 _Ah, such a **proud**  little thing and already broken so sweetly to my hand,_ he thought as he took in the sight of her wanton form spread open so readily before him, gripping him in weak desperation as the culmination of pleasure claimed her once more.

Her thoughts, and desires, were plain. She wanted this.  _Needed_  this. Fight as she'd like, but the deepest parts of her mind did not lie.

Both shuddering and chuckling darkly, he shifted his grip on the chains and then continued to take her just like that. Holding her up by the bindings and thrusting with jarring,  _bouncing_  movements that would force more of those strained cries from her throat. His pleasure mounted higher still with every surging thrust into that slick, wet hole. The way those inner walls clasped and squeezed him, so hot and tight even as her body relaxed and stretched wider still for him,  _and him alone_ , was enchanting. Instead of pushing toward his own release however, his focus narrowed intently. With her mind now so  _very_  overwhelmed, he delved deeper and deeper. He weaved his power through her thoughts as if her mind were a delicate silk loom. Each time she came spasming about him, he admittedly had to pause briefly in his efforts before he could continue. The spasming, clasping,  _grasping_  heat a pleasure to indulge in and savor. Eventually, once the magic of his spell was nearly complete, he slowed and started to pull back, pull out, of that slick, clasping little hole.

He wanted her to be  _fully_  aware of what he was doing and just how thoroughly she belonged to him.

If it was vocalizations that he wanted then, well dammit all, he got them. Kay's face twisted into a grimace at the strain as he continued to pound in and out of her. Her voice rose and fell in increasingly an strident pitch as her throat grew more and more raw. She rapidly lost count of how many times he brought her as time went on. Even  _without_  that searing,  _electric_  magic of his, she was still pushed over the edge of release again and again. Eventually, her limbs only twitched, her body writhing about only out of reflex. Small cries of agonized need escaped her throat with every, single,  _jarring_  thrust. How much more could she take? How much more did she  _want_  to take? A groan of loss escaped her when that thick impalement was suddenly and slowly withdrawn. Kay spasmed, inner walls tightening around him almost as if  _unwilling_  to let him go. Her legs rose on their own and tried to coil back around his waist.

Even in her unthinking state, she knew that she'd fall without something to hold on to.

A shuddering growl escaped him when her body clamped down, legs wrapping around his waist and refusing to release him. How  _amusing._  That she had fought so adamantly against the thought of yielding to him earlier, only to be begging with her body (if not her voice) for more now? Again he pushed her legs away, this time with additional force. Before she had the chance to react, to reclaim that precarious hold upon his waist, he swiftly pulled free of that soaked slit. His cock  _glistened_  with slick fluids, but then again she had come readily for him.  _Multiple_  times. And she would come for him again before he was done with her. He used his grip upon the chains to control her fall to the ground so that she did not hit it  _too_  hard. A minor allowance. It would still be a jolt to her system regardless and might snap her thoughts back into alignment. Even if they didn't, and she remained insensate, he planned on enjoying himself. A dark chuckle escaped him at the sight of her on her knees before him and his tongue flicked over sharp fangs.

 _Such perfection,_ he thought with a rumbling purr.

A high gasp escaped her lips as she fell, followed by a startled cry when her knees and lower legs struck the cold,  _stone_  floor. The sharp impact startled her and Kay's breath hitched in her throat. With the haze lifted, at least partially so, she  _finally_  recognized the weight of his mind-magic seeping in amongst her own thoughts and… and she also realized what the  _hell_  she had been  _doing!_  What  _he'd_  been doing by testing her mouth. Being dropped to her knees so roughly left no room for doubt regarding  _that_  particular assumption either. She shook her head roughly in an effort to clear it. To shake away the fog that remained so heavy over her thoughts. Impeding her  _will._  Trying to re-build some sort of mental defense against him even as she attempted to pull the chains from his hands… proved to be pointless however. Without her magic she lacked the strength needed to carry out either task. Clamping her mouth firmly shut, she let out a weak, yet defiant, snarl through her teeth and glared up at him through tussled hair.

"Hnnn," he hummed softly and then chuckled.

It was a cold caress of sound that echoed through to the bone. A noise that had made many a man cower in abject terror.

Her defiance had come far too late to do any good. Human as she was, she would not be able to escape his physical grasp, let alone the  _mental_  hold that he had on her. Though she was his Mirror, and had likely already guessed his intent, she'd still yet to  _accept_  what was happening. To accept his silent direction. His  _commands._  Kain chuckled and used the chains to force her back up so that her face was even with his crotch. Before she had the chance to struggle, or be foolish enough to try and bite at him, he curled his free hand under her jaw. Rather than press down with his talons and force her mouth open, he simply held her head in place. Focusing upon her mind and his casting, he watched her expression intently, sadistically pleased by both her mental and physical struggles. The heavy, powerful weight of his mind coiled around her thoughts as he worked to finish his task; placing a subtle obedience spell in her neural pathways. It would be just enough of a compulsion so that she could retain her free will... save for those times when she had been pushed by pleasure or pain at his hand to such a beautiful and  _perfect_  breaking point as this.

After all, his fledglings needed to maintain a certain amount of autonomy when he was not present to corral them...

Kay fought against the mental magics as much as she could, but it, again, proved a useless effort. Frustration filled her and she let out a high whine of pain through her nose when she was wrenched upwards. The agony in her shoulder flared back to life, chasing away the last vestiges of need and desire. It also distracted her. Not a difficult thing to do in truth. Not when one considered her prior, thoroughly befuddled state of mind. Her body spasmed violently as his spell-working settled into place over her pleasure and pain-fractured thoughts. A muffled cry slipped out through clenched teeth, her face twisting in helpless rage and fear.

 _No_.  ** _No!_**  She belonged only to herself dammit!  _No one_  owned her!

Ah. That last, charming little thought was an amusing thing to hear and he laughed low and long. Could it not be said that by belonging to him, her otherworldly,  _superior_  Mirror, that she indeed belonged ' _only to herself_ '? Could it not be said that in  _his_  'owning her', that she was owned by an Elder version of her own, far-too-youthful soul? Would  _she_  not have responded exactly the same way as he to such a prize being put before her? No matter. That die had already been cast.

Now... to make her  _understand._

"Open your mouth for me.  _Wide,"_  he ordered as he had finished the delicate casting.

Another, higher sound escaped her when her mouth slowly started to open at his firmly spoken order. Kay's eyes widened in dismayed,  _enraged,_  bewilderment.

 _What…?!_   ** _How?!_**  she thought.

No matter how hard she fought against that compulsory demand, her mouth still moved to follow his order. Trying to clench back down only caused a small series of spasms to ripple along the line of her jaw. All her efforts to  _resist_  the command...  ** _failed._**  Mouth now open wide, she tried to pull back instead, not caring about the sharp talons that could slice her cheeks open.

Kain growled low, a dark and possessive noise of pure satisfaction. Holding her head still was a simple enough thing to do given her weakened state and Human nature. Keeping her head at just the right angle, he eased the head of his shaft past those spread lips. Almost purring at the warmth, he watched appreciatively as that pert little mouth was forced obscenely wide around the girth of his cock. This was an activity that was by far easier to enjoy with creatures that had no fangs to nick and scrape the armored, yet sensitive, flesh of one's cock. Still, he knew that he would need to continue to be…  _gentle._  He licked at his lips and a slow, growling hiss slipped out past bared fangs as he pushed deeper into that hot mouth.

 _Time to see just how much she can **take**_ **,**  he thought with a fanged grin.

Strained noises escaped her throat, muffled by the massive cock being pushed into her mouth. Kay's jaw was forced wider and wider still to accommodate his shaft and she clenched her eyes shut both so that she did not have to  _watch_  and due to the strain. Her fingers clenched the chain links tighter, knuckles again turning white from the force of her grip. Kay tried to pull back again only to be halted by that unyielding grasp. With his order still thrumming within her skull, she found that she  _could not_  bite down on him either. Pushing at him with her tongue did nothing to halt the slow glide of that cock as he pushed forward and filled her mouth almost,  _almost,_  beyond her capacity to endure. Her eyes flew open when that thick girth abruptly trapped her tongue and she shuddered both at the heavy weight of it and the taste of  _herself_  upon him. Unable to contain a small whimpering sound at the strain, she looked up at him with widened eyes.

 _Fuck… Now what…?_ she thought.

The feel of her tongue pushing at the head of his cock as she tried to shove him  _out_  was ambrosial. The futility of those little struggles made the forced submission all the sweeter and the lost expression on her face when she looked up at him was as succulent a treat as the heat of her mouth. Pausing with the head of his cock nudging at the back of her throat, he snarled softly in frustration. He needed to adjust their current angle. Desiring nothing more than to simply thrust himself deep, he pulled out of her hot mouth a few moments later, just long enough to release the thick chains so that they fell against the ground with her hands trapped in front of her. The heavy weight of the chains would prevent her from moving far. If she managed to regain her senses enough to even  _try_  and pull away that is. Not that he expected her to. Threading his taloned hands through that long dark hair and shifting his stance, he pushed back into that open mouth, forcing himself deep once more. He stilled and his lips curled up in a sly smile. He focused on her mind as he spoke, the weight of  _Power_  thrumming behind his words.

" _Pleasure me_  mine little Mirror," he ordered in a growling voice that had gone deep indeed with hunger and lust. "Put that clever tongue of yours to greater use and  _suck."_

When the chains hit the ground, so too did Kay's hands. The impact was sharp. Cutting. She wouldn't have been surprised to find that her wrists had been bloodied by the edges of those heavy manacles. Still, the brief pain did nothing but further befuddle her. Kay's eyes glazed over as that thick length was forced back into her mouth and she moaned around him reflexively. Thought was difficult, and yet she still struggled weakly against that power. A futile effort. As soon as he issued that thrumming order, her tongue automatically began to rub along the underside of his length and she swallowed convulsively to create a suckling pressure. Panic seared through her at the uncontrolled, or rather  _forcibly controlled,_  movements. Now, she was not  _unskilled_  when it came to sexual activities. Point of fact, she'd often driven the male lovers she'd had over the years, including her dear Raphael, to a state where they'd been left begging for relief by the time she was done with them.

 _That_  wasn't the problem.

That _he'd magically commanded_   _her to pleasure him_  was the damned problem! And so she fought back with a frenetic, desperate energy. Her hands tugging at the chains. Her legs scrambling against the ground. Fought against that mental and physical hold as much as she could. She wasn't... she  _wasn't_...

Hissing through his teeth in pleasure and throwing his head back, his taloned fingers tightened minutely, restricting the movements of her head as she squirmed about oh so delightfully. The mental struggle was noted as well, yet her mind was young and no more a threat to him than a bird caught in cat's paws. A butterfly trapped in a wide net. A fish on a hook... Helpless.  _Glorious_  in that powerless state. The desperate struggles of one facing off against a forgone conclusion. A magnificent and beautifully devastating tragedy.

Letting out a deep laugh of pure, sadistic amusement, he focused on her mind and  _pushed_ , strumming the cords of that well-laid obedience spell. A silent, undeniable demand to  _yield_  and  ** _obey_.**

Kay's eye-lids fluttered at that sudden mental pressure… and then slowly fell shut. Mental fingers that had been scrambling wildly against his mind-magic, so like hands clawing at an un-breaking window, abruptly stilled and fell away. Even her physical hands fell still. The blood-loss. The pleasure. The  _agony._  The firm, undeniable weight of his mind against her own. All of these things and more conspired against her. Left all thought  _shattered._  Left her unable to reason beyond wild instinct and those few, brief moments of clarity that were becoming rarer and rarer.

There was no longer anything but pure, un-adulterated sensation for her to focus on.

Sensation… and his order.

She took in a sudden, deep breath through her nose and pushed forward. Feeling the thick head of his cock push over the back of her tongue, then past and into the sheath of her throat a half-second later, was… was…  _oh_. She shuddered violently. The massive girth made her throat bulge and she swallowed roughly around it.

His eyes slid partially shut, golden slits blazing with lust and possessiveness when his little Mirror abruptly took his length deeper without any further prompting on his part. Kain rocked his hips forward slowly, muscles flexing as he slid deeper still and then held himself there, buried deep, in order to feel all of those wonderful little convulsions as she swallowed. Mindful of her human fragility, he began to take that sweetling mouth and throat, pumping in and out of that tight heat and pulling out only when she could no longer do without air. He kept one hand tangled firmly in those dark locks and reached down to stroke the other along her soft cheek. He sent a low-level current of magic, pleasurable sparks of energy, through her small form in reward for the willing submission on her part in taking him so deep.

"Good.  _Good_  girl," he purred, his voice low and thick.

Kay shuddered and again swallowed roughly around that thick impalement. She moaned low when that current buzzed through her. Still, her eyes watered briefly each time he held himself deep and she let out a strained noise. Whenever he pulled back, she would suck in a rapid, desperate breath through her nose before he could drive forward once more. The need for air only intensified until her lungs fairly  _burned_  with the strain. Once again it all became simply  _'too much'._  She tried to lift her hands up to push at him, to pull away enough so that she could breathe.

 _Air_.

She needed  ** _air._**

But there was no stopping him. The heavy weight of the chains kept her hands trapped scant inches above the ground. As such, her efforts to lift them only caused little clinks of noise. The ringing sounds of metal against metal. Kain did not slow his movements, intent on claiming the woman's throat just as he had that slick, wet hole. His eyes darkened and his rhythm stuttered, paused, when he thought of taking an even  _tighter_  passage that he might enjoy. Perhaps he would indulge  ** _that_**  thought at a later time...

After a while Kay started to feel light-headed. Only when he stopped did she have the chance to breathe and she took the brief moment in which he paused to  _act_. Heaving air in through her nose, she flicked her tongue out swiftly. Deftly. She passed her tongue over that oddly ridged shaft and thick cock-head again and again. It was a desperate effort to be fair. An attempt to distract him from pressing forward again. To gain more time to breathe and clear her head…

In as much as she  _could_  clear it that is.

He let out a pleased croon when that eager tongue began to dance over shaft and head. A low, rumbling chuckle escaped him nary a second later. He easily recognized the intent behind his Mirror's desperate, yet admittedly skilled, efforts. Listening carefully, he acknowledged that he had been, perhaps, a touch over-eager. The woman's heart  _was_  racing rather desperately. He remained still for several minutes both to allow the continued, and  _very_  pleasurable, explorations of that clever little tongue and to give her the time that she needed to recover her breath. Eventually the rapid beating of her heart would steady and calm, allowing him to enjoy a more thorough claiming.

She relaxed inch by inch when he made no move to thrust back into the depths of her throat. Able to breathe as she worked, she began to focus her attentions on mapping that heavy length with her tongue. The slit at the very tip received a good measure of her attention, tongue flicking over it teasingly. After that the thick, flared rim was stroked repeatedly with slow, swirling passes. When she took him deeper, she found that the odd sub-dermal armor along the shaft gave that flesh an almost scale-like texture. A kind of ribbing that tickled over her tongue and along the roof of her mouth whenever she applied a sucking pressure. Eventually she pulled back and started to suckle just on the head of his cock, tongue flicking out and over the slit again and again in swift little passes designed to both entice and tease.

He let out a purring, sighing growl. No un-trained novice was she, which was all to the better. Kain's cock twitched in response to the sweeping passes of her tongue. A lower, groaning growl escaped his lips when she started to suckle oh so sweetly upon his cock-head. The flicking passes were heavenly indeed and he indulged her efforts and that need for air a little while longer. His hand eventually moved from her cheek, which he had been idly caressing with the backs of his talons, to rest on the nape of her neck. Sharp talon-tips dug into the skin, just deep enough to draw a few stray drops of blood.

Kay twitched when his hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck, the touch making her shiver reflexively. The pressure made her flinch and she moved forward, taking more of his cock into her mouth in order to try to avoid those sharp points. Her hands closed into fists, spine tensing and shoulders lifting protectively. The movements were, perhaps, an uneasy remnant of her earlier defiance or maybe it was just instinctual fear and a need to protect vulnerable areas. Even she could not have said if pressed. Despite the clear agitation, she continued to suckle upon and map the contours of that thick length.

Pleased shivers ran down Kain's own spine. A slow inhale of breath bathed his tongue with the sharp-sweet scent of her trepidation and he purred. It was both a soothing noise  _and_  a gratified one. Such a scent was like that of ambrosia to one such as he. He smiled almost viciously a moment later and sent a current of electric pleasure straight down her spine in reward for the luscious applications of that skilled tongue. It was not enough to bring her yet again, but it was definitely close to it. How would the little thing react to being shoved right to the edge, but not over...?

Oh, Kay reacted alright. Her eyes widened in shock and she  _screamed_  around the thick impalement as his magic seared straight through the nerves of her spine. Her body jerked and bowed backwards as she tried to pull away and to the side. As she tried to escape his hold. True, it felt  _good_ , just like all the other times he'd used his magic so. But it was still... it was still...

 _Too much…!_ she thought frantically, body thrumming like that of a struck tuning fork.

A low snarl of hunger escaped him and Kain thrust his hips forward greedily, driving his cock  _deep_  as she screamed so exquisitely around him. The vibrations were nearly enough for him to reach completion then and there. Willpower  _alone_  kept him from spilling a heavy flood of seed down her throat. He snarled when she tried to pull away, to escape. Continuing to growl a low, deep note, he drove deeper still into the convulsing sheath that was her throat. His grip tightened in her hair and he forcefully pushed his cock in to the  _hilt_  so that her nose was pressed against silver-white curls of hair. His little Mirror would not slip free from his grasp no matter how much she writhed.

She would take it all.

Kay shuddered and trembled violently as he forced  _every single inch_  of that thick length down her mouth and throat. Her cry had stripped her of most, if not all, of her oxygen and her jaw  _hurt_  with the strain of being stretched open so wide. Her hands scrambled desperately, scratching at the ground, at the manacles around her wrists and then at the chains that they were connected to all in a desperate bid to get free. She  _needed_  to have air. Couldn't...  _fuck!_   _She couldn't_   ** _breathe!_**  Despite her struggles, the power behind his command  _still_  remained active. If she'd the air for it, and if her mouth wasn't so full, she'd have let out a howl of pure frustration. As it was, she continued to swallow convulsively around the massive length that  _bulged_  in her throat.

The desperate need was becoming painful...

Her lungs started to  ** _burn..._**

A shudder of deep-seated pleasure shot through him once he was buried hilt-deep in that spasming throat. His hips flexed and his stomach muscles clenched tight. Kain growled low and controlled the urge to simply  _pound_  in and out of that hot mouth. She would not be able to survive  _that,_  but oh... that wet heat around his cock was temptation made manifest. He was still connected to Kay's shock-opened mind and he sent a thrum of approval along that link. Wrapping the web of power tighter still around her thoughts he focused and sent a heavy command to ' _calm'_  along the link. She was doing herself more harm then good in panicking so.

"Ahhh...  _such_  a good girl," he murmured, his voice a low, rumbling purr. "Easy now. Hold it deep, that's it.  _Tsaaa_.  _Good_  girl."

Her eyes widened at the molten touch of his mind and she shuddered violently. Oh…  _oh._  Her hands and arms spasmed as if she were suddenly afflicted by a paroxysm. They stilled a moment later and then fell to rest limply against the ground. Physical strength and mental will faded entirely into the background and Kay's eyes slowly fluttered shut. Her throat worked around him automatically, yet the strength to do even  _that_  began to fade as consciousness drifted away. She was, again, perilously close to passing out, or  _worse._ And she no longer had the will to  ** _care_**  either. Her mind started to go completely blank…

Kain hummed softly, a deep-seated thrum of both pleasure and contemplation when he noticed the severity of her flagging strength. He eased his length back so that she could breathe, though he kept the head of his cock buried in her mouth so that it lay like a heavy weight upon her tongue. Dangerously sharp talons remained pressed against her neck and yet the current of power lessened in strength until it was naught but a low-level buzz. He stroked the talons of his other hand through her hair in an almost soothing manner and looked down at her with a hooded, gold-tinted-white gaze that was  _possessive_. His thoughts brushed against hers again, an equally encouraging and commanding thrum behind them.

"Easy mine Mirror," he rumbled, " _continue_  now... that's it. You are doing so  _very_  well."

Her eyes opened slowly and she took in several gasping, strained breaths of air through her nose. What… happened? Had she passed out? Not quite, she realized, but  _almost._  Had he let her go…? Ah. No. Kain was still in front of her, cock partially in her mouth. Just driven to the edge of unconsciousness then. She blinked blearily up at him and tried to organize her thoughts, but froze instead. Oh…  _his eyes._  She shuddered under the intensity of that glowing, possessive gaze, feeling... decidedly lost beneath its' weight. A muffled mewl of sound escaped her at his order and, not yet fully  _aware,_  she slowly began to re-apply a suckling pressure. As Kay's breathing evened out, her focus began to sharpen anew and her tongue worked over that length with determination. She bobbed her head up and down along his cock, briefly taking him back into her now more than slightly sore throat before pulling back to pass her tongue over and around the flared rim of the head with a sweeping twirl of her tongue. She repeated that precise movement several times, hoping that her continued efforts would appease him enough that he would continue to allow her to breathe properly.

She was no vampire to continue such efforts without the needed resource that was oxygen.

Not  ** _yet_**  at least…

Kain's hand flexed briefly in the woman's hair when she resumed her efforts and he gripped the thick strands painfully tight. As she eagerly swallowed him down again and again, a low thrumming rumble started to fill the air. Such a talented little thing… he might have kept her around for that reason  _alone_  had it not been for the mitigating circumstances surrounding their… 'relations'. When her tongue swirled so divinely around his cock, his head fell back and a loud growl of pleasure escaped him. His other hand closed firmly enough around the base of her neck that the skin would likely show bruising in short order. He forced her to speed up her efforts, talons scratching lightly over skin and scalp alike and drawing small beads of blood in the process.

The pain of the grip upon her neck made her whimper around him but she sped up her pace just the same. Continuing to take him deep into her throat so that her nose brushed against silver-white curls, her body twitched reflexively every few moments. That uncomfortable pressure on her neck? The talons scratching her skin? Pain and pleasure had already blended together to, and then immediately past, the point of incoherency. And as such, she lost herself to the nothingness caused by pure sensation. The world narrowed down to a fixed point; pleasuring Kain, her Mirror. She would pull back to take a breath, only to feel the sharp edges of his talons prod at the back of her neck, urging her forward once more. Despite that lost, mindless effort to perform as directed, another agonized sound escaped her several moments later.

He felt every twitch of her body. Absorbed every whimper and pained moan as if indulging in a fine wine. Eventually, he pulled his hands away lest his talons cause serious damage. Kain pressed them against the wall instead and let the viciously sharp digits curl inwards. Said points immediately dug thick grooves into the stone and he used that grip to maintain focus. To control himself. He thrust forward slowly and with exceeding care. Each plunge into her mouth matched the pace of that eagerly bobbing head. So hot and sweet around him. He looked down at his little Mirror, watching as she took  _every last inch_  of his considerable length again and again. The muscles of his thighs flexed and strained with the desire to simply thrust forward. To take her hard and fast. He could feel his testicles drawing up as he again neared the point of release and a low, hungry hiss of sound filled the air as he bared his fangs. An audible  ** _crack_**  suddenly echoed in the room as another shudder of pleasure seared up his spine and his talons dug  _deeper still_  into the stone wall.

"Such a clever little thing…" he said. Another, growling groan escaped his lips.  _"Yeessss…_  that's it. Good… _mmm_ … good girl."

When his hands pulled away, she relaxed. The pain at the back of her neck faded to a dull, ignorable ache. The cracking sound above her head distracted her for a moment and she stilled. Flecks of stone hit her bared back, causing her pulse to jump and her eyes flew wide with startled surprise. What...? A fine tremor ran through her as she contemplated what to do. Continue? Ignore it? Steeling her resolve, she steadied herself on her knees and glanced upwards once more. The dark, hungry, look in his eyes and the sharp glint of bared fangs made her moan reflexively. She closed her eyes to break away from the intensity of that molten gaze. Having taken note of the deep gouges left in the wall, she shivered. There was no doubting the male's physical strength.

Kay abruptly pulled back so that his length just barely pushed at the back her throat with each bob of her head. All so she could speed up her pace further still. The suckling draw did not lessen. In fact she tried her best to  _increase_  the level of suction and friction being applied. She swallowed as hard as she could whenever that thick head pushed just past her tongue and teased at her throat. Her tongue flicked out over the tip of his cock each time she pulled back. The careful mapping from earlier aiding her in finding and stroking the intact frenulum with said nimble organ.

A strangled noise escaped his throat and a violent shudder ran through him. Oh, how  _divine_! So eager to please! He allowed her to continue those enchanting efforts for several moments, panting softly for air that  _he_  did not need. Almost…  _already_  he was on the cusp and… her tongue passed again and again over that sensitive frenulum, almost undoing his control entirely. A roaring snarl filled the air as he abruptly pulled back, pulled  _out_  of that skilled mouth. Too much more and her deft little tongue would have managed to force his release and he was  _not_  done with her. Oh no. He would have her  _screaming_ for him as he took her. Would leave her  _begging_  for more. Kain bent over her, practically looming, and grabbed up that long, dark hair in his hand like a leash. Wrenching her head back, he caught her chin with his free hand and gave her a small shake, forcing her to look him in the eye.

When he pulled away from her, Kay let out a small, startled sound through her nose at the unexpected movement. She was forced to release him mid-suckle. A slick, wet sounding  _pop_  filled the air. She flinched back when he bent down over her, unable to help the automatic and somewhat fearful reaction in the face of what  _seemed_  like anger. The yank on her hair forced a small yelp of pain out of her, eyes clenching shut again at the sharpness of the brief agony. She  _almost_  started to struggle, but then he was holding her chin firmly and any thought of fighting back fell by the wayside. The quick shake made her eyes to shoot open and she froze like a deer trapped in the head-lights. She stared into that molten-gold gaze with dark eyes that were glazed over with both lust and pain.

What would he demand of her  _now…?_

Kain's lips curled up in a dark smirk at the lost yet lustful look in her eyes. He pushed forward and shoved her upper body back against the wall, not caring if the impact bruised pale-soft skin. His lips met hers in a kiss that was vicious and almost cruel in its' possessiveness. His other hand scooped up the heavy chains binding her even as his tongue darted demandingly into that shock-opened mouth. Swirling his tongue around her own, Kain stood, lifting her up both by her hair and the chains, uncaring of any discomfort the action might cause. He started walking backwards toward the bed, knowing without looking where said furniture was located. There was no cessation of that dominating kiss. No time for to recover her breath. No, he claimed that deft little mouth with a voracious hunger, fangs nicking tender flesh and leaving both their lips smeared with the woman's ruby-colored blood.

Kay grunted as shoulders impacted cold stone and then moaned against his mouth, shuddering at the pain/pleasure caused by that wild,  _biting_  kiss. She hesitated only briefly before returning that fierceness with as much of her own as she could muster. A muffled cry filled the air as her hands and body were abruptly wrenched upwards. Most of her cries were swallowed up by that hungry mouth upon her own. She barely flinched as his fangs scraped over her lips, drawing fresh blood. The copper taste was enticing, even if it  _was_  her own. When he started to back up, her feet dragged against the ground. She tried to stand under her own power, tried to  _follow_  his movements, but only ending up stumbling. She fell forward against him with a low, yelping groan that was part surprise, part dazed pleasure. Her tongue slipped hard enough over one of his fangs during that fall, the sharp point opening a deep cut.

Blood swiftly filled her mouth to overflowing.

Kain's tongue slicked over hers and he growled at the taste and feel of her living vitae flowing so freely. So sweet, like little lightning bursts crackling over his tongue... He hefted her up so that her mouth was angled down, her feet dangling almost at his knees, and he drank from her mouth as if from a goblet. He suckled upon the woman's tongue to force more of that sweet-fresh blood from the open wound. The back of one of his legs abruptly struck the bed and he spun around with a dizzying display of speed. Pinning her face down on the bed with her legs dangling mostly over the edge was simply enough, that her ass was left raised up in the air as if on display was. Kain tossed the thick chain out and over the width of the large bed-frame. The heavy weight would keep her arms extended as far as they could reasonably go.

Being lifted up so abruptly was a shock to her system. That he held her in a way that  _literally_  poured her blood from her mouth and into his was… admittedly less of a surprise given his nature as a predator. Wincing, she tried to return that kiss by darting her tongue into his mouth, both to give him greater access to her blood and to indulge in  _her own_  cravings for  ** _more_ ,** only to find herself suddenly being flung about like a rag-doll. Kay let out a startled sound as she hit the bed. When her hands were jerked above her head, the heavy chain both dragging them up  _and_  trapping them in place, she hissed in outright pain.

"Nnngh…  _shhiiit!"_  Kay cursed weakly, blood dripping from her mouth to splatter the sheets with blotches of red as she spoke.

Another feral smirk flickered briefly over Kain's visage at the sight of that bruised hand-print displayed so prominently on the woman's ass. He stroked his talons lightly over that firm rear for a moment, a teasing, almost tickling, caress. Nary a second later he closed his hands around those plump cheeks and  _squeezed._  He let go quickly enough, the grip had been firm yes, but not firm enough to bruise that pink-pale skin further still. He gave her rear a firm smack and then reached down to pass one knuckle over her soaked slit in a teasingly light touch and watched her expectantly. With all that had been said and done, he knew that she would react eagerly to such a caress.

Within moments, her shoulders began to burn once more with the throbbing ache of thoroughly abused muscles. She whimpered at the light pass of his talons over her ass and squirmed weakly against the soft bed and silk sheets. Just that sensation alone against her skin was almost too much for her pleasure/pain-addled mind. A groaning cry escaped her when he so suddenly grabbed her ass and she jolted forward at the hard 'thwack' that followed. She shook her head, dazed. Hopefully he was not intending to do more than  _that._  She wasn't... she  _didn't_... the fleeting touch along her slit distracted her thoughts and another low groan of need escaped her. Her legs subconsciously spread wider, her wet folds visibly glistening with fluid as she squirmed about.

Feeling that she was indeed wet and eager for him to continue sent another shiver up his spine. That she had spread her legs so readily made him growl. A low, hungry sound. So impatient! And after all that posturing and grandstanding too. Kain forced one of her legs up over the edge of the bed, bent at the knee. Lifting her lower body into the air so that it looked like she had been trying, and failing, to climb up onto the soft bed, he angled her body so that he could easily wrap one arm around her waist and lay one thick knuckle over that swollen little nub. The current that he sent through her body  _this_  time was designed to keep her just on the precipice of release. He pressed his other hand down over the sigil and paused. Waiting. Kain took a few moments just to indulge in the sight of that shivering, trembling form beneath him before he growled and eased his cock back inside her tight-stretched sheath. He would hold her there on the edge of orgasm as he drove himself deeper and then  _deeper still_  into her body. Would force her to take as much of his cock as she could handle and  _more_.

"Hnnnn, such a  _good_  girl mine Mirror," he said, his voice a rumbling purr as he started to ram  _hard_  in and out of that slick hole. "Take it  ** _deep_**  now. Open for me. That's it.  _Good_  girl."

Kay's eyes had flown open when he shifted her leg. What...? A gasp escaped her and a moment later she let out a low groan as he ran  _more_  magic over her shock-swollen nub. The renewed current, somehow both gentle  _and_  teasing this time, made her shiver. Make her tremble. What more would he make her endure? What...? Thought flew right out the window nary a second later when his hand landed upon the base of her back and she bucked weakly. Magic started to pulse along her nerves once more and she  _screamed._  Every ache and pleasurable sensation heightened to unimaginable levels. Teasing pulses. Painful waves. Agony and bliss rolling together as one. It was too much and yet... somehow not enough. Her legs spread wider still, toes of one foot straining against the cold stone floor to remain balanced. Another low moan escaped her as he started to slide that thick, ridged length back inside. So  _full._  Just that side of too much even after being stretched open so thoroughly earlier. Her hips arched up and back wantonly as she tried to meet his forceful thrusts.

"Ahh… hahhhhhh…  _mmmnnnnnn_ ," soft, desperate cries of need escaped her throat, head tilting back so that she was staring blindly at the far wall.

More. She needed  _more._  Needed to fall over that tantalizing edge just… just  _one_   _more time_ …

A dark smirk twisted his lips at the sound of those desperate little cries escaping from that arched throat. Cries that were like honeyed music to his ears. Sweet as spun sugar and thicker than molasses. Even those wanton little movements to eager meet his thrusts were sublime.  _Heavenly._  Shuddering with restrained need, he slowed his movements further still and shifted his so that every powerful surge forward would stroke the ridges of his cock over the most sensitive parts of her. All in order to force more of those sweetling noises out of her at a higher and  _higher_  pitch.

"That's it," he purred darkly. "You  _need_  this, don't you pup? Need to be taken.  _Claimed._  Let me hear your howls pup."

He leaned forward to scrape his fangs along the shell of her ear, his voice lowering to a hungry whisper.

 _"Scream_  for me pup," he rumbled before leaning back and thrusting forward ruthlessly hard.

Kay let out a low, throttled groan as that ridged length caught roughly along her inner walls. A high whine escaped her sore throat when he started to pound into her so forcefully. She shuddered and trembled, letting out little panting, whinging grunts as she was taken. That hard cock pounding…  _pounding._  The angle was perfect but that damned magic was somehow holding her back, holding her at the edge. Her hands grasped blindly at the silken sheets of the bed as delicate,  _hypersensitive_  inner tissue was stimulated by the massive girth that speared her. Her forehead fell against the bed and she  _writhed_  in response to his words. Silky. Dangerous.  ** _Insidious._**  Beguiling in such a way that she couldn't  _help_  but respond to. Just…  _oh fuck…_  she just needed a little more!

"Ahhh...!" she bucked hard beneath him and threw her head back with an even louder moan. "Oh… I  _need…_  oh god… please. I need…! Nnnnnngh!  _Please…!"_

Kain's golden eyes narrowed into slits and his lips pulled back in a possessive snarl at her words. How very apropos. His hand moved from the base of her back to tangle in her hair, pulling her head back even more and not caring if it caused her pain. He curled himself over her smaller form and wrenched her lower body up so that the muscled plains of his stomach were pressed firmly against the sigil carved into her back in order to keep that enhancing current pulsing through her. No mercy would be shown. No quarter given. She  _would_  yield in the fullest way possible. He licked at the shell of her ear, fangs grazing once more over the soft flesh in a cutting line that drew blood.

"That's it mine Mirror," he purred against her skin. "You  _remember_  this. You  _remember_  that you belong to  ** _me_**  now little pup. Your body. Your mind. Your very  _soul._  I am indeed your  ** _God._**  So, beg for me mine own.  _Beg_  for My Blessing. Let me hear those sweet little pleas for more.  _Beg!"_

The last word was punctuated by a harsh and dominating thrust that knocked the head of his cock almost brutally hard against her cervix. It was as if he was intending to pound forward and force his way inside even  _this_  small opening. As if he intended to claim the entirety of her.

And he  _might_  do just that…

Kay shrieked as her head was pulled back and her body thrashed about uncontrollably beneath his own in response. She was left trying to simultaneously buck forward  _into_  that touch on her clit and  _back_  onto the shaft buried within her thoroughly stretched hole. A violent sob of breath escaped her when he licked and scratched at her ear with tongue and fang. A near hysterical  _howl_  escaped her at his words and then... Oh that harsh, claiming thrust against her cervix was  _almost_  enough, but not... just  _not._  Her fingers clenched, tangled and  _tore_  into the silk sheets covering the massive bed. Blood trickled freely down her chin as she panted for breath. She felt…  _she felt_ …

Uncontrolled yet  _restrained._

Unfettered yet  _leashed._

Unburdened yet  ** _bound._**

 _Never_  before had she been pushed to such limits as  ** _this._**   _She'd_  always held the reigns. Had always been the one in control. Now…? It was… strangely freeing in some bizarre way. This lack of control. This...  _submission,_  be it 'expected' of her or not. All she could think of, all that she  _wanted,_  was  _more._  And the only way that she could do to obtain it…

… _was to do as he'd commanded and **beg**_ …

"I... p-please! Ka _-ah_! Oh,  _please!"_  her eyes clenched shut and she gyrated beneath him in agonized desperation. Close.  _Sosososo **soclose.**_  "I-I n-need...!  _Nnnnnnngh!_  Please l-let me...! Fuck…!  _Please!_  Take me please! Let me...! Need to...! Kain!  _Oh, god **please!"**_

The muscles of his flanks tightened at those honeyed, pleading words.  _Perfection._  He started to thrust harder and harder into that tight, clasping hole. No longer willing to wait, he started to chase cruelly after his own release. A snarling, almost barking, roar escaped him and he lunged forward, his fangs sinking deep into the flesh of her throat. Deep into the main artery. The current of magic against her clit shifted.  _Intensified._  He shoved her harshly over that edge of orgasmic bliss and drove himself deeper still into that fragile form. Speared her open again and again around his shaft in reward for those charming, beseeching cries. Distantly he knew that the pain of his claiming would tear through her in equal measures thanks to the sigil. He simply didn't  _care._  She belonged to  _him_  now. Completely and utterly. Openly submitting. He gave one last, brutally savage thrust and then froze, muscles seizing with a blinding pleasure. The force behind that last lunge forward had driven him straight into her very  _womb_  and the sudden-tight clasp around the head of his cock was enough to force him over the edge. He came hard inside her, his roar of release muffled against her throat. Thick, heavy, leaden spurts of seed spilled into her wanton, begging,  _writhing_  little form.

Kay's voice gave out with a choked wail as she was finally,  _finally,_  allowed to come. Her own body seized violently beneath his larger form. She couldn't even register the fangs at her throat. No, the blissful-pain of him filling her so completely, forcing his way so deep, made her convulse uncontrollably. Kay's thoughts were wild things.

 _Did he…? Was he really buried in…?_  she thought, body spasming wildly. The reflexive tightening of her body left no room for doubt.  _Oh, god he **was**! Oh, more, god yes!  **Yes**! _

Combining that sensation with the magically searing pleasure tearing through her…? It  _consumed_  her.  _Ruined_  her.  _Broke_  her. The feel of him finishing while buried  _there_  made her shudder and tighten further still. The feel of such heavy seed flooding her womb caused her mouth to open wide in a near to silent scream that no  _human_  ear could have possibly insane levels of pain and pleasure abruptly became too much and her mind went blank. Kay's eyes rolled back and she fell limp in his arms. Her body continued to twitch reflexively, but only because of the over stimulating magic that yet tore through her small frame. There was no effort on her own part to prolong the pleasure…

That high wail of release was divine. For his ears only. Those frantic thoughts, desperate and needful, suddenly going quiet did not concern him. No. Kain let out a low rumbling growl that was muffled against her neck. A sense of darksome repletion filling him as he continued to feed upon her life-blood, as the last spurts of his seed filled the depths of her quaking, unconscious body. He shifted and reached between their bodies to flick a talon across the sigil, breaking it and cancelling the spell in the process. His arms coiled slowly around that fragile form a moment later. A nigh-on gentle, almost  _tender_ , hold. One hand moved to rest over her chest just under her breasts and the other covered her lower stomach and pushed lightly. He could feel the bulge of his cock buried deep within that taunt, muscled belly. A pleasure shudder shivered down his spine before he pushed the thought aside and coiled his magic over her feather-light. He took silent stock of the damage that he had wrought and another lazy growl of sound filled the air.

The pup's fragile body was indeed badly injured at this point. Only the strongest of healing potions found upon Haven might prevent her death… and he had none on hand to provide to her. In truth, he would not have been inclined to provide her one even if he'd had one on hand. No, it was time. He was  _well_  pleased with her performance. Her will to fight him to the end. The beauty of her inevitable fall.

Just as he had wrapped his mind around her own, just as he had physically wrapped his body 'round hers, so too did he begin to encircle her soul with his own. He began to work the Necromantic magics needed to raise her as his Seventh Child calmly and precisely. He held her possessively close as the spell to Turn her took hold. Holding her soul in his metaphysical hands as if it were a small treasure. He listened closely as her heart-rate sped up, desperate to maintain blood pressure, and then slowly, surely, it stuttered to a halt as he drained her of the last of her living vitae.

Hours later, Raziel found himself walking through the near-empty halls of the Faux-Sanctuary, an 'ice-chest' held loosely in one taloned hand. He had gotten a 'request' from his Sire to bring a storage container filled with blood. Specifically blood-packs obtained from that one woman's, Kay's, bar. Why? He was… uncertain in truth. He only knew that his Sire had demanded that he bring several  _dozen_  pints of human blood to him. Blood that was not from weak place-holder's. There was no other way to obtain such copious amounts. Not without killing or maiming several of the Chosen currently residing on Haven. At the moment, such a thing was something to be avoided as it would not go over well in the grand scheme of things. While there were few that Raziel would call  _ally,_  and even less that he would dub  _'friend',_  that was not true of the rest of the Chosen.

Kay at least had proven herself to be in the 'tentative ally' category through action alone. Not only had she helped him personally, in a round about fashion given the way she'd shared information, the woman had also built a bar in a way that made it the ideal place to obtain food that did not taste like  _ash,_  alcohol that did not taste like watered down  _swill_  and blood that was as rich as that obtained from slaves born and breed for their purity of taste and flavor. Whilst Raziel and Kain both preferred to actively hunt their own food, or at least obtain it from a willingly offered throat, it was a change of pace indeed to be able to obtain such vitae without complication, question... or having others seek perceived vengeance on behalf of those who  ** _had_**  willingly offered their blood up to the vampires in question. It was as if they'd had access once again to the voluminous stores of blood slaves that they'd had back during the heights of Kain's Empire.

Vorador had practically set up shop in the damned place when he'd found out that the woman had managed to procure a steady supply of 'food' for even the 'evil' vampires of Haven. Lazy old dragon that he was...

Raziel had been left feeling decidedly displeased after the visit to the bar to obtain said nourishment though.  _Dante_  had been manning the bar instead of the woman, which he only did when Kay was either out on patrol or when helping other Chosen with various tasks. Whilst Dante and Raziel had worked out a... let us say,  _tentative truce_ , which was a difficult thing to arrange considering several prior confrontations that Raziel'd had with the half-demon, that did not mean that the two males were now 'close friends'.  _Uneasy_  allies at the best of times perhaps. As such, it had taken Raziel far longer than he would have liked to obtain the blood packs. The unruly and mouthy male had seen fit to tease, taunt and otherwise get under his skin in a way that left him wanting to put said male in his place.  ** _Repeatedly._**  At least the woman, while stiff and somewhat cold-shouldered at times, showed a decent amount of respect to those who visited her bar and followed her little rules while within it. Raziel shook off his annoyance with the  _other_  silver-haired male that plagued his life and shoved open the heavy door to Kain's chambers without even bothering to announce himself.

"Next time you can obta..." Raziel immediately fell silent as the sight before him registered to his mind. His eyes widened in astonishment. "The  _hell_...?!"

Kain had shifted so that he sat leaning against the headboard of the massive bed. Kay's smaller form was held firmly in his arms and across his lap. He was holding her firmly in place, mainly due to the fact that her body was trembling uncontrollably and almost violently so. Which was understandable. The muscles, sinew and very  ** _bones_**  of her body were being altered,  _visibly,_  by the Vampiric Curse. The trembling had actually lessened since he had Turned her a few scant hours ago. It was plain to Kain's attentive eye that the woman's body was acclimating to the Change swiftly. Far more swiftly than even those fledglings that were freshly dead upon being Turned.

Indeed, if one looked close, one could see that she was already showing signs of renewed consciousness. He'd known that she would need large amounts of blood over the next several hours. Hence the summoning call sent out to Raziel. Kain raised a brow at his Favored Lieutenant and, ignoring the dark-haired male's bewilderment, indicated the end table closest to them.

"Set the container there my Raziel and ready one of the goblets for me," he ordered, his voice a lazy rumble of sound.

He idly ran a talon-tip along the now pale-white skin of the woman's stomach as he spoke. Scratch-lines rose swiftly. Small lines that turned pink before slowly fading away. Good. Already the Vampiric healing factor was taking affect. He started to draw swirling patterns over her skin, watching them fade before drawing new patterns. Turning someone took a bit of energy and Kain was not of a mind to do anything other than bask in the odd afterglow caused by sex and the heavy use of such magics whilst he waited for the woman, his new Child, to awaken.

"..." Raziel flashed the older male a silent glare but moved swiftly enough to comply with the order.

Raziel could recall  _quite_  clearly the few times in his youth that he had failed to act promptly whilst his Sire was in such a state. Even  _he_  was affected by such sweet lethargy after Turning someone. Still, just because an Elder might be affected by a kind of drowsy, near-slumbering state, it did  _not_  mean that they would not act to educate the disobedient when sufficiently annoyed. Raziel set the ice-chest down and opened it. He removed one of the blood packs even as he fought down a sudden-strong burst of annoyance. He was irritated. Both at the demanding order issued to him as well as the sight of the woman cocooned in his Sire's arms.

It… had been quite some time indeed since he'd last had to share his Sire's attentions with his Brother's, but he remembered. Oh, he remembered  _well_  what his jealousies would earn him if he actually  _voiced_  his displeasure with the situation. That he now obviously had another Sibling, a  _Sister_  of all things, to deal with was… quite vexing. He slit the pack that he had grabbed open with one sharp talon and then poured the high-quality blood into one of the hand-wrought goblets on the end table. He stiffly held out the goblet to Kain a moment later.

"Was there a Hylden attack that I was unaware of? Or some other event that would have claimed Kayla's life? Why would the Powers be unable to intervene on her behalf as they have for others?" he asked whilst keeping his voice carefully bland.

In truth, he was confused in regards to the  _why_  behind this odd scene before him. Why would Kain suddenly decide to make a Seventh Child now, after it had been so long? Not only that, but why one of the Chosen from another Realm and not someone from Nosgoth itself? What use was a Childe that would obviously have to be returned one day to their home dimension?

"There was no attack, mine own," Kain said in a low, rumbling voice as he took the goblet from Raziel's hand. "No, there are more important things at work here when it comes to this  _particular_  wolf-pup."

His lips quirked up into a smirk as he looked his Lieutenant over. He let out a low, languid chuckle. Raziel's attempt to hide his jealous ire with the woman sitting ensconced safely within his arms would have been hidden from anyone who did not know how to read the black-haired vampire and Kain had long ago learned how to read his temperamental scion. Hopefully Raziel would recall the old lessons that he had been made to learn eons ago. Even if he did not, well… Kain was not opposed to…  _administering…_  further lessoning if it proved to be necessary. It might even be an enjoyable diversion while they resided on Haven.

"And the woman's name is not 'Kayla', my Raziel," he rumbled softly, almost as an afterthought.

"Hm?" Raziel blinked and then raised a brow at his Sire's words. He waved a hand expressively, though not dismissively, and chose his next words with precision and care. "It is what everyone calls her  _and_  what she responds to. What else would the woman's name be but 'Kayla'?"

"Is it really?" Kain rumbled bemusedly. He took in the scent of the blood and hummed approvingly. An acceptable vintage indeed, but then the woman did stock her stores adequately enough to please a King, if not an Emperor such as he. "Tell me; how did she introduce herself to you my Raziel?"

"She..." he blinked again, this time in confusion. He thought back to the first time that they had met. He frowned abruptly as he recalled the rather  _peculiar_  way the woman had introduced herself. "She said to me, 'You may call me 'Kay', if you wish to call me anything at all'. I'd always thought it an unconventional way to introduce one's self, but merely took it to mean that she disliked her full name."

"Indeed. She said the same to me when we first met in her little bar," Kain smirked and chuckled softly, "and I, too, assumed that. Especially after I had seen her interactions with the others here."

He looked down and eyed the small form in his lap, moving the goblet closer to her face.

Kay stirred briefly. Not at the sounds of their conversations, centered as they were around her, but because of the powerful and rich scent so close to her nose. Said nose twitched as the blood started to register to her newly enhanced senses. Her eyes started to flutter open when he moved the goblet closer.

"A clever little bit of wording to deflect us all mine own," Kain said softly and he eyed her carefully, judging her actions through heavy-lidded eyes.

How would the little pup react to fresh blood? A frenzy to be immediately subdued? Calm demands for food? The later was as unlikely as Kain declaring himself celibate for the rest of his existence. Still, the denizens of Haven  _had_  surprised him more than once. Both in pleasing and oft infuriating ways.

Kay let out a low groan and then twitched violently. A deep-seated hunger tore through her with the abruptness of a wild-fire. _**Blood!**_  Her eyes flew open, glowing white with power. The need to feed, to catch and consume the source of that rich blood hovering nearby was nigh on undeniable. She jerked in Kain's grasp, hands starting to lash out toward the goblet, new claws curled to rend and tear, but she froze with said claws barely a hair's-breadth from actually touching the metal. The fragmented remnants of her own stubborn pride made her freeze. Nothing else. Her mind was yet fractured. Thoughts yet knocked down like a house of cards that had collapsed or a building of Lego's kicked apart by an over-eager or temperamental child. The very foundation of her will had been undone. Had been  _replaced._  There  _were_  new foundations laid out for her to build upon but it was an effort to focus. To think. The solid-white gaze suddenly locked on...

On... whose eyes were those…?

Sire...?

Her...  _Sire's..._  eyes?

She blinked rapidly at the thought. A small frown marred those full, too pale lips. That strange thought had felt just as wrong as it did right. How... perplexing.

Kain hummed thoughtfully at the woman's contained reactions. He tilted his head as he watched her. Thus far he was quite pleased by his newest Child's progress. Her current restraint was a commendable thing indeed. He moved the goblet closer to her form, a blatant temptation, and tilted the goblet just enough to cause the blood to tremble along the rim. Just at that delicate edge of spilling over. A steady, thrumming rumble began to echo in his chest and his eyes narrowed watchfully. What would her reaction be  _now,_  what with that ruby fluid trembling along the rim. So…  _very…_   ** _close_** _…?_

Raziel remained still, not moving an inch from where he stood. Only the slightest uneasy twitch of his wings gave lie to his apparent calm. He knew well what his Sire was doing. It was what he himself had done with his many of his own Children. Anani included. A test of a Child's mental capacity when one was affected by the blood hunger and temptation lay so close at hand. Would they control themselves? Or would they fall prey to their own instincts? It was also a test to judge the Child's ability to register potential danger, to recognize the hidden will of one's oft capricious Sire.

Though admittedly… this was  _not_  normally something that was done so soon after the Child in question had been Turned.

The scent of blood recaptured Kay's attention and her hands curled as if to close around the goblet. She wanted to wrench it from the taloned hand that held it. Wanted to drink deep. To feed. However... she needed to... she needed to do something else first though. Focus. She needed to  _focus._  Not right... there was something... not  _right_  about this entire situation. Something that left her uneasy. Wary.

Like setting up the base of a too-fragile house of cards, she found herself trying to focus on that thought of 'not right'.

The... it was the... what?

What was wrong? Where was the danger  _at?_

The goblet.

It was the  _goblet._   ** _That_**  was what was wrong with the situation. Even though it held that wonderful source of food within it, it was at least part of the danger that had her hackles raised.

The goblet was… not  _hers._  Not hers to  _break._  Not hers to  ** _hold._**  No, it was… her Sire's...? Yes. It was  _his._

It was a finely made thing. Hand-made...? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It was still expensive and...  _why_  could she not hold it?

Her eyes narrowed on her hands. Ah. There. Claws. She had  _claws_  now. They were sharp and... likely quite strong. She could all too easily damage the goblet without meaning to and...

A thought crystallized above all others; _Do not damage Sire's property!_

Like the tops of two cards resting perfectly together, Kay's fragmented thought process finally connected the dots. Everything snapped back into alignment. Not  _proper_  alignment mind, but a small piece of her previous self was restored in that instant. As such, she recognized the trap that had been put before her. Clever.  _Dangerous._  Her hands shakily came to rest not on the goblet itself, but on the large, taloned hand that  _held_  said goblet. She had no wish to damage the metal with unfamiliar strength. Nor to be punished for doing such a thing. Kay leaned forward and started to delicately lick along the rim. A shudder ran through her. That sweet, coppery taste flooded her mouth like the purest honey.  _Heavenly._  She moaned softly and tried to shift his hand. To force him to tilt the goblet further so that the blood could fall into her mouth without damaging the fragile metalwork.

She wanted,  _needed,_  more of that liquid ambrosia...

Kain let out a satisfied hum of sound at her restraint. He tilted the goblet after a few moments in reward so that the blood fell into that needy mouth in reward. The test he had put before his new, and only, Daughter had been passed with flying colors. He nodded his head as if to himself. In truth, he was well-pleased with the rapidity of her recovery of Self. The woman would likely recover her sense of self in full before the week was out, if not that very night. He almost laughed when she tried to force his hand to tilt the goblet further still. Such a headstrong, sumptuous little creature even now.

Raziel's eyes widened in pure astonishment. Even he had taken  _months_  to reach this point of self-control. Cane, bullwhip and worse still had been taken to his fledgling hide whenever he had damaged that which had belonged to his Sire with unknowing, super-natural strength. He shook his head in bewilderment and his wings flared outwards briefly before settling back into place. That she was this controlled, that she was not lunging mindlessly for the blood, was…

"How is that possible?" he asked, curiosity lacing his tone. "She should be months out from being so stable whilst in the presence of  _any_  kind of blood. Fresh or otherwise. This is... most unusual. Is it because she is not native to our world?"

"No. At least I do not believe so. The woman is my otherworldly Mirror Raziel. A reflection of my Soul born in a different form. A different world. A different  _life,"_  Kain rumbled softly, amusement filled his tone. "Oddly enough, she is even mirroring my own Change. Once I had sated my initial hunger after being Turned by Mortanius, I too, regained my sense of self swiftly after my first feeding. Nigh on immediately. I suspect that it has less to do with the  _Reality_  that we were born in, or even the Vampiric curse itself, but rather that it may have something to do with our  _Souls._  Our very  _nature_  as the Balance Guardians of our respective worlds."

Kay licked at the sides of the goblet, tongue flicking out daintily as she tried to gather up the last droplets of blood held within the container. She paused and blinked blearily towards Raziel, the movement of his wings catching her attention. She went still at the sight of him. More danger? Friend? Foe? It was quite plain that she was not yet capable of recognizing him. At least not beyond knowing instinctively that he was another predator.

Raziel raised a brow at the sudden attention, but otherwise remained still. Many a fledge became fiercely territorial when another predator was nearby. Especially if said predator did not register to their senses as 'Sire'. Would she growl or hiss at him in threat? Would she attack, foolishly perceiving him to be a potential threat? He had no doubt that Kain would keep her in line if that happened. Still, he was curious...

What kind of Vampire would his new... Sister... be?

When he did not move, when he proved to be no immediate  _threat_  to her person, Kay dismissed him from her mind and turned her attentions back toward Kain. The heavy weight of his presence was oddly,  _wonderfully,_  intoxicating. She nuzzled at his collar-bone, tongue flicking out again and again over his armored skin. She could taste it. There was  _more_  beneath that near-leathery hide. More ambrosia to be had but...

Another, wary thought flooded through her mind. Another layer added to that house of cards;  _Do not bite._

She knew that if she actually bit down then there would pain. Immediate and swift. Unavoidable. So instead she continued to lick at her Sire's skin. A small, begging sound of entreaty escaped her throat. Her thoughts reached out toward Kain's own in an automatic, mental sending requesting more. Hungry... she wanted, needed, more blood. Ah… but she was so damned hungry and the blood beneath his skin smelled powerful. Sweet. It was a siren's song to her newly heightened senses.

"You still have not asked me what her name actually  _is_  mine own," Kain rumbled in an amused tone.

Honestly, he was acting as if he knew the punch-line to a particularly good joke. Which wouldn't be inaccurate. At least from a certain point of view. He stroked the talons of one hand soothingly through Kay's hair and then set the empty goblet aside on the table. That she continued to show restraint and did not try to bite at his torpor toughened hide pleased him. He held out his now empty hand expectantly, indicating the container that held the packs of blood.

"Refill the goblet mine own," he ordered.

Raziel had to fight back the rather immature desire to roll his eyes at the order, yet he still crossed his arms in front of his chest. Briefly. As annoyed as he was, he was not about to risk Kain's ire and break him out of his current lassitude. He sighed, the noise almost inaudible, and moved to slit open another blood-pack. Why did his Sire have to speak so? Making him ask the question outright instead of simply getting to the point and telling him?

"Very well," he said in a low voice as he poured the blood slowly into the goblet. He did not want to startle the female fledgling into attacking. Once the blood was poured, he tossed the empty pack aside to land atop the other and then placed the goblet back into Kain's outstretched and waiting hand. "What is her name then?"

"K. A. Y. N. E. Her name, my Raziel, is 'Kayne,'" he rumbled and he side-eyed his First-Born's face with an open expression of bemusement, though he swiftly close his hand around the base of said goblet.

It was a good thing that Kain had grabbed the goblet so, else Raziel would have dropped the damned thing at Kain's answer. Eloquence fled from Raziel's thoughts and he sputtered in incredulous confusion. That was followed rapidly by a brief look of open upset that was swiftly quelled. Not only had the woman somehow caught Kain's eye enough for him to Turn her but to  _share the same name_?

"Her name is 'Kayne'? Are you  _jesting?"_  he finally said, all but growling. When he saw no deception in the older male's expression, he turned to glare at the smaller form held so possessively in his Sire's arms.  _"'Kayne'?!"_

"Hmmph?" an unintelligible series of noises escaped Kay and her head jerked up at the sound of Raziel's shout.

Her mouth worked slowly, but she was still unable to form coherent words with mouth and tongue or even thought. He had... just yelled her name...? She tensed warily for a moment. Was this other male, this other  _predator,_  upset with her? He... seemed like it. Yet he wasn't attacking her. So  _why…?_  Her mind was still pressed against her Sire's in that needy touch for more blood, more nourishment, but now that touch was laced with her blatant confusion at the other male's upset.  _Threat? Danger? Safe?_

A low, thoroughly bemused sound escaped Kain lips. He was greatly amused by his First's expression. The upset tone. The whine that was  _almost_  unnoticeable. It was as if the woman had committed the gravest effrontery simply by sharing the same name as he. Even if it was a different spelling. It didn't help that Raziel had always been jealous of his Siblings. And why not? He  _was_  Kain's First after all. First of his Brood. First to earn his attention, his consideration, his  _praise._  Still, had Raziel truly thought that Kain would  _not_  make more vampires once the threat of the Parasite was dealt with? Once their home had been saved? Ah. Perhaps therein lay the problem...

Raziel had been alone for some time now. No one to call equal. To call Brother or Sibling. Even the lovers that he had taken on Haven had not compared to being with one of his own save perhaps for the Claymore, Clare, and that had been a one-off encounter. No, it was not until he'd rescued some of his own Clan from the jaws of Time itself had he been around his own Kith and Kin for an extended period of time. Even then, they were his Clan.  _He_  was Liege-Lord.  _They_  followed  _him._  To have a Sibling again, no matter how young, no matter that they would not be  _keeping_  the woman for he knew that she would have to be returned to her world in time, well...

The low sound turned into a chuckle and then outright, thundering laughter at the affronted confusion and jealousy writ so plainly on Raziel's face. How easy it was to read his erstwhile Scion's mood.

Ah... but there would be entertainment aplenty found here in the near future. And still more over the centuries ahead.

_Splendid._

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